Defra, UK - Farming - Environmental management - Land Management

Farming

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are areas that have been notified as being of special interest under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and cover the country's very best wildlife and geological sites.

English Nature is responsible for protecting SSSIs in England and can provide advice, guidance and financial support to ensure they are managed correctly. It was granted additional powers to do so by the Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act 2000 and some further minor changes have been made through the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act 2006.

There are three main issues regarding the management of SSSIs:

notification
protection
management

Notification of SSSI status

English Nature must notify you if you own or occupy land at the time it considers the land to be of special interest because of any of its flora, fauna, or geological and physiographical features.

Notification of land as a SSSI gives legal protection to the best sites for wildlife and geology in England and is a local land charge If notified, you will receive a package of information including:

a citation detailing the reasons for notification
a statement of English Nature's views on the management of the SSSI
a list of operations likely to damage the SSSI and requiring English Nature's consent
a map showing the SSSI

You are given four months to make objections and representations about the proposed new SSSI.

Recent notification packages for new SSSIs can be viewed on the new notifications page of the English Nature website.

You can use EnglishNnature’s Nature on the Map website, or the interactive mapping site, MAGIC, to find out whether land includes a SSSI and, if so, the SSSI name.

Details for individual SSSIs, including basic management requirements, can be found at the English Nature SSSI search facility .

Owners of SSSIs must inform English Nature within 28 days of any change in ownership or occupation of that land.

Protection

Recommendations, advice and information regarding the law are outlined in a Code of Guidance for England on SSSIs.

Carrying out an activity which destroys or damages the special features of an SSSI, or disturbs any fauna interest features, without a reasonable excuse can result in a fine of up to £20,000, or an unlimited amount on indictment, if these activities are intentional or reckless and it is known the land affected was a SSSI.

The NERC Act 2006 introduces a new offence where it is not known the land affected was a SSSI and this carries a fine up to a maximum of £2,500. It is expected this will come into effect in October 2006.

The courts are able to order a person who carries out an operation that damages an SSSI to restore the land to its former condition. Failure to comply may result in a fine of up to £5,000 and a further fine of up to £100 per day for as long as the offence continues

English Nature has the power to make sure neglected or mismanaged SSSIs can be brought into favourable management and help meet the Public Service Agreement target of bringing 95% of all nationally important wildlife sites into favourable condition by 2010.

In addition, English Nature can in certain circumstances compulsorily purchase a SSSI if it feels doing so is necessary to safeguard the special interest of the area.

Operations requiring consent

Details for individual SSSIs, including basic management requirements, can be found at the English Nature SSSI search facility.

However, it does not replace any more detailed management advice which English Nature may have already given, such as in any Management Agreement or Management Scheme.

Land owners or occupiers must obtain permission before undertaking certain operations within an SSSI.

A list of operations likely to damage the SSSI and requiring consent is available for each SSSI from English Nature.

Many operations can usually be carried out in certain ways or at specific times of year, or on certain parts of the SSSI, without damaging features of interest. The English Nature Conservation Officer for the SSSI can provide advice and, where appropriate, grant consent.

If consent cannot be granted an English Nature Conservation Officer will suggest alternatives which would enable consent to be granted.

To proceed without English Nature's consent may constitute an offence.

Owners or occupiers of SSSIs may appeal to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if consent is refused, or if they feel that any conditions attached to a consent are unacceptable.

Further management advice

An advice booklet for SSSI owners and occupiers called SSSIs - England’s special wildlife and geological sites is available from English Nature.

Effective management is essential to conserve the special wildlife and geological features of SSSIs.

Examples of the types of management needed to maintain SSSIs can include:

grazing animals at particular times of year
coppicing
controlling water levels
clearing scrub

Many SSSI owners and occupiers already carry out suitable management, which has contributed to the special interest of the land.

English Nature will advise and help owners and occupiers to make sure that SSSIs are managed in the best possible way.

It will seek to reach an agreement with the SSSI site owner about any management measures needed on the site.

In certain circumstances, it may be possible for financial help to be provided to carry out the necessary management. Management Agreements will usually be offered under the Environmental Stewardship Scheme, but if these are unsuitable a specific SSSI management agreement may be appropriate.

If unable to reach an agreement, English Nature may pursue formal legal methods, such as imposing management schemes and management notices.

In the most extreme cases, powers of compulsory purchase may be used as a last resort when all other options to maintain the special interest of the SSSI are impractical.