Site of Special Scientific Interest

A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is an area that has been notified as being of special interest under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. In 1992, the Government increased protection for SSSIs within the land use planning system.

Notification as an SSSI is primarily a legal mechanism to protect sites that are of particular conservation interest because of the wildlife they support, or because of the geological features that are found there. SSSIs can be found all over Great Britain and help to form a national network of areas with the greatest value to wildlife or geological conservation.

The legislation was further strengthened by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 which amends the 1981 Act provisions and improves protection for SSSIs in England and Wales.

Comment: Details of all these and other protective legislation can be accessed via the DEFRA Web Site under the Wildlife, Countryside and Flood Management Directorate @ http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/index.htm