National Nature Reserve

National Nature Reserve (NNR) is the official title given to those sites owned or managed directly by the main statutory conservation agencies in the UK. English Nature, the Countryside Council for Wales and Scottish Natural Heritage have powers, stemming from the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 to designate land as a National Nature Reserve (NNR). The aim is both to secure protection and appropriate management of the most important areas of wildlife habitat, and to provide a resource for scientific research. In addition NNRs have a public role. The majority of NNRs now have some permitted access.

NNRs are usually designated for their broader ecological value rather than for the presence of particular rare species. There are however a number of sites which hold important numbers of scarce or rare species. A number of factors may contribute to the designation of a NNR. These may include; how fragile a site is, the size of the site, how 'natural' the site is and the presence of species rich communities. The NNR network represents almost every kind of vegetation type found in Great Britain.

For more information see http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/ewd/ewd08.htm