Sites of Special Scientific Interest

Sites of Special Scientific Interest, in the United Kingdom, term designating areas of land that are protected to ensure the maintenance and enrichment of their characteristic diversity of wildlife and natural features. In Northern Ireland they are known as Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs). Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are notified under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, in recognition of their special biological or geological interest. One of the guiding principles in the process of notifying a SSSI is sustainability, the aim being to hand on to the future generations a natural heritage that is at least as diverse and extensive as that which was inherited. Notification indicates the importance of the site to policy- and decision-makers, and also provides the notifying bodies with a way of directly influencing the management of the site. The statutory conservation body which notifies SSSIs in England is English Nature, in Scotland it is Scottish Natural Heritage, in Wales the Countryside Council for Wales, and in Northern Ireland the Environment and Heritage Service.

Before notification takes place, the site is surveyed with the permission of the owner or occupier, after which the council of the notifying body decides if the site is to be notified or not. If it is, the owners and occupiers, the local planning authority, and the Secretary of State are all informed. At least three months are allowed for representations to be made to the notifying body by interested parties, after which further consideration is given to a decision regarding notification. Although the occupier of a site is obliged to consult the notifying body before carrying out specified activities, the voluntary principle is valued as the best means of securing effective management, by seeking a positive partnership with those occupying or responsible for SSSIs.

In 1999 there were 6,602 SSSIs in the UK (4,051 in England; 1,449 in Scotland; 946 in Wales; 156 in Northern Ireland), covering some 7 per cent of the total land area in England and Northern Ireland, and about 11 per cent in Scotland and Wales. Of the sites, some 40 per cent in England and Wales are in the ownership or under the control of public bodies; for Scotland it is about 25 per cent. The remainder are privately owned or managed.

In 1999, the biggest cause of damage to SSSIs in England and Scotland was cited as overgrazing in upland areas, accounting for 87 per cent of all damage to SSSIs in England, and 23 per cent in Scotland. In Wales, unspecified agricultural activities caused 69 per cent of all damage. Another major cause of damage was mineral extraction, with most of the extraction licences pre-dating SSSI designations. It is hoped that reform to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will lead to a reduction in stocking levels to enable uplands to sustain wildlife as well as livestock. Concern has been expressed that mineral extraction will continue to be responsible for damage unless a way can be found to amend or revoke the licences previously granted. However, the number of SSSIs in Great Britain suffering serious damage amounted to only 144 out of a total of 6,446 sites—amounting to less than 1 per cent of the total SSSI area—and it was envisaged that the majority of these sites could recover by suitable management or natural regeneration.