Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) are those areas of land and water (to the seaward limits of local authority areas or MLWS) that Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) considers to best represent our natural heritage - its diversity of plants, animals and habitats, rocks and landforms, or a combinations of such natural features. They are the essential building blocks of Scotland's protected areas for nature conservation. Many are also designated as Natura sites (Special Protection Areas or Special Areas of Conservation).The national network of SSSIs in Scotland forms part of the wider GB series. SNH designates SSSIs under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. SSSIs are protected by law. It is an offence for any person to intentionally or recklessly damage the protected natural features of an SSSI. SSSIs were first designated under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The majority of these were later re-notified under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. All 1981 Act SSSI designations are carried forward, and all new SSSI designations are now made, under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004.

This dataset references directly NatureScot's Open Data Hub, the data is not hosted in Stirling's platform and, therefore, will be updated as soon as NatureScot releases any updates.Symbology for the layers published as per NatureScot.NatureScot Spatial Data HubMany are also designated as Natura sites (Special Protection Areas or Special Areas of Conservation).The national network of SSSIs in Scotland forms part of the wider GB series. SNH designates SSSIs under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. SSSIs are protected by law. It is an offence for any person to intentionally or recklessly damage the protected natural features of an SSSI. SSSIs were first designated under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The majority of these were later re-notified under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. All 1981 Act SSSI designations are carried forward, and all new SSSI designations are now made, under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004.

NatureScot Spatial Data HubMany are also designated as Natura sites (Special Protection Areas or Special Areas of Conservation).The national network of SSSIs in Scotland forms part of the wider GB series.SNH designates SSSIs under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. SSSIs are protected by law. It is an offence for any person to intentionally or recklessly damage the protected natural features of an SSSI. SSSIs were first designated under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The majority of these were later re-notified under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. All 1981 Act SSSI designations are carried forward, and all new SSSI designations are now made, under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004.

The Geological Conservation Review (GCR) is the register of known nationally and internationally important Earth science (geological and geomorphological) sites in Great Britain. The GCR underpins designation of Earth science features in Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

SSSIs are the UK’s very best wildlife and geological sites. They cover a range of important wildlife habitats and species from wetlands and rivers, to remote Moorland and peat bogs, to flower-rich meadows, to exposed cliffs and shingle beaches. They are notified and protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in England and Wales, under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 in Scotland and the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1984 in Northern Ireland. Many of these sites are also designated as National Nature reserves, Special Areas of Conservation or Special Protection Areas under other pieces of legislation and so may have multiple layers of protection for the conservation interest.

This dataset contains the linkages between designated features and their relevant critical loads or levels. The designated features come from the UK network of protected nature sites including: (i) Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) (ii) Special Protection Areas (SPA) (iii) Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) - England, Scotland, Wales (iv) Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) - Northern Ireland. Critical loads and levels are set under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. For nutrient nitrogen critical loads are based on empirical evidence, mainly observations from experiments and targeted gradient studies. These empirical critical loads are assigned to habitat classes of the European Nature Information System (EUNIS) to enable consistency of habitat terminology and understanding across Europe. In order to assign the relevant critical load to Annex I features, A/SSSI habitat features, or habitats of Annex II/SPA features, habitat correspondence tables are used to determine the relationship between the EUNIS classes for which nitrogen critical loads are set and the interest features. Critical loads of acidity are based on soil and habitat types. They are set for six Broad Habitats; acid grassland, calcareous grassland, dwarf shrub heath, bogs, montane, unmanaged coniferous and broadleaved woodland. Critical Levels for air pollutants are not habitat specific and have been set to cover broad vegetation types (e.g. forest arable, semi-natural), often with critical values set for sensitive lichens and bryophytes. They have been derived from experiments and observation that show varied effects on vegetation including visible injury symptoms of exposure and species composition changes in semi-natural vegetation.

This dataset is published as Open DataRamsar sites are classified to meet the UK's commitments under the Ramsar Convention. The UKs ratification also extends to its Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.Ramsar sites are classified under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance. The mission of the Convention is "the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world". The UK Government signed up to the Convention in 1976.https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/international-designations/ramsar-sitesScotland has 51 Ramsar sites designated as internationally important wetlands, covering a total area of about 313,000 hectares.Most Ramsar sites in Scotland are linked to the European site network - either as a Special Protection Area (SPA) or Special Area of Conservation (SAC). All are underpinned by Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). These sites may be of importance for their wide variety of waterbirds, bogs, lochs, coastal wetlands and other water-dependent habitats and species.Learn about designating Ramsar sites on the Ramsar website.

Sanday is one of the northernmost islands in the Orkney Islands archipelago. In 2005 Sanday was designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), based on the island’s role in supporting one of the largest colonies of common seals Phoca vitulina in Scotland, and for its ‘subtidal sandbanks’, ‘intertidal mud and sandflats’ and ‘rocky reefs’. This designation built upon the existing East Sanday Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), notified in 1999, which recognised the importance of varied and extensive intertidal sediment flats and rocky reef habitats in supporting common seals and a range of ornithological and botanical interests. The aim of the current study (2008) was to initiate site condition monitoring of the marine habitat features present within the SAC and SSSI, establishing a baseline biological dataset against which to underpin future condition assessments. In the subtidal an extensive drop-down video survey of reef and sediment biotopes (different habitats with their recurring characteristic species communities) guided a subsequent targeted programme of semi-quantitative diver sampling and quantitative benthic infaunal sampling. In the intertidal, relocatable transects were established at ten locations deemed to best represent the shore types present.

This dataset contains source attribution data for nitrogen and sulphur deposition across the UK. The FRAME (Fine Resolution Atmospheric Multi-Pollutant Exchange) atmospheric dispersion model, using emission data from 2012 was used to provide 90 source footprints of nitrogen and sulphur deposition across the UK on a 5 x 5 km grid. A minimum, maximum and gridded average deposition value has been provided for the following protected sites throughout the UK: (i) Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) (ii) Special Protection Areas (SPA) (iii) Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The pollutants are further split into both wet and dry deposition, as well as local and long-range sources. Habitat-specific data are provided for (i) forest, (i) moorland (short semi-natural vegetation), and (iii) grid average (average of arable, grassland, urban, forest and moorland land cover types) forest everywhere. The work in generating and compiling this dataset has been funded by the UK pollution and conservation agencies: Natural Resource Wales (NRW), the Environment Agency, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Natural England, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research (SNIFFER), the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).

THIS DATASET HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN and superseded by Critical load/level linkages for interest features at UK protected sites (revised 2018) (https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/95139a35-8880-4a17-86e4-5eb2f54073c4). Critical loads for nutrient nitrogen have been revised for some features designated to SSSIs. The majority of these revisions have been made for the broad habitat type Lowland fens and Lowland swamps.. This dataset contains the linkages between designated features and their relevant critical loads or levels. The designated features come from the UK network of protected nature sites including: (i) Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) (ii) Special Protection Areas (SPA) (iii) Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) - England, Scotland, Wales (iv) Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) - Northern Ireland. Critical loads and levels are set under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. For nutrient nitrogen critical loads are based on empirical evidence, mainly observations from experiments and targeted gradient studies. These empirical critical loads are assigned to habitat classes of the European Nature Information System (EUNIS) to enable consistency of habitat terminology and understanding across Europe. In order to assign the relevant critical load to Annex I features, A/SSSI habitat features, or habitats of Annex II/SPA features, habitat correspondence tables are used to determine the relationship between the EUNIS classes for which nitrogen critical loads are set and the interest features. Critical loads of acidity are based on soil and habitat types. They are set for six Broad Habitats; acid grassland, calcareous grassland, dwarf shrub heath, bogs, montane, unmanaged coniferous and broadleaved woodland. Critical Levels for air pollutants are not habitat specific and have been set to cover broad vegetation types (e.g. forest arable, semi-natural), often with critical values set for sensitive lichens and bryophytes. They have been derived from experiments and observation that show varied effects on vegetation including visible injury symptoms of exposure and species composition changes in semi-natural vegetation.

Ramsar sites are classified under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance. The mission of the Convention is "the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world". The UK Government signed up to the Convention in 1976.https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/international-designations/ramsar-sitesScotland has 51 Ramsar sites designated as internationally important wetlands, covering a total area of about 313,000 hectares.Most Ramsar sites in Scotland are linked to the European site network - either as a Special Protection Area (SPA) or Special Area of Conservation (SAC). All are underpinned by Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). These sites may be of importance for their wide variety of waterbirds, bogs, lochs, coastal wetlands and other water-dependent habitats and species.Learn about designating Ramsar sites on the Ramsar website.Complete metadata on spatialdata.gov.scot

Is iad Láithreáin Speisialta Eolaíochta (SSSI) na limistéir talún agus uisce sin (go dtí teorainneacha farraige limistéar údaráis áitiúil nó MLWS) a mheasann Oidhreacht Nádúrtha na hAlban (SNH) is fearr a léiríonn ár n-oidhreacht nádúrtha — a héagsúlacht plandaí, ainmhithe agus gnáthóga, carraigeacha agus foirmeacha talún, nó teaglaim de ghnéithe nádúrtha den sórt sin. Is iad sin bunchlocha riachtanacha limistéir chosanta na hAlban chun an dúlra a chaomhnú. Tá go leor acu ainmnithe freisin mar láithreáin Natura (Limistéir faoi Chosaint Speisialta nó Limistéir Chaomhantais Speisialta).

Tá líonra náisiúnta SSSIs in Albain mar chuid den tsraith GB níos leithne. Ainmníonn SNH SSSIanna faoin Acht um Chaomhnú an Dúlra (Albain) 2004. Tá SSSInna faoi chosaint ag an dlí. Is cion é do dhuine ar bith damáiste a dhéanamh d’aon ghnó nó go meargánta do ghnéithe nádúrtha faoi chosaint SSSI.

Ainmníodh SSSIanna den chéad uair faoin Acht um Páirceanna Náisiúnta agus Rochtain ar an Tuath, 1949. Tugadh fógra an athuair don chuid is mó díobh sin faoin Acht um Fhiadhúlra agus Tuaithe 1981. Tá ainmniúcháin SSSI uile Acht 1981 tugtha ar aghaidh, agus tá gach ainmniú SSSI nua déanta anois, faoin Acht um Chaomhnú an Dúlra (Albain) 2004.

Ypatingos mokslinės svarbos teritorijos (SSSI) yra tos sausumos ir vandens teritorijos (iki vietos valdžios teritorijų ribų arba MLWS), kurias Škotijos gamtos paveldas (SNH) mano, kad geriausiai atspindi mūsų gamtos paveldą – jo augalų, gyvūnų ir buveinių įvairovę, uolienas ir sausumos formas arba tokių gamtinių savybių derinius. Jie yra pagrindiniai Škotijos saugomų teritorijų elementai gamtos apsaugai. Daugelis jų taip pat laikomi „Natura“ teritorijomis (specialios apsaugos teritorijos arba specialios saugomos teritorijos).

Nacionalinis SSSI tinklas Škotijoje yra platesnės GB serijos dalis. SNH priskiria SSSI pagal 2004 m. Gamtos apsaugos (Škotijos) įstatymą. SSSI yra saugomas įstatymų. Tai yra nusikaltimas, kai bet kuris asmuo tyčia ar beatodairiškai kenkia saugomoms SSSI gamtinėms savybėms.

SSSI pirmą kartą buvo paskirta pagal Nacionalinių parkų ir prieigos prie kaimo įstatymo 1949. Apie daugumą jų vėliau buvo pranešta iš naujo pagal 1981 m. Laukinės gamtos ir kaimo įstatymą. Visi 1981 m. Akto SSSI pavadinimai perkeliami į kitus metus, o visi nauji SSSI pavadinimai šiuo metu daromi pagal 2004 m. Gamtos apsaugos (Škotijos) įstatymą.

This dataset contains information about multiple palaeoecological proxies – pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, spores, microcharcoal, plant macrofossils and macrocharcoal – generated from stand-scale (forest hollow-based) analyses of Cambusurich Wood Site of Special Scientific Interest, Scotland (Ordnance Survey grid reference: NN 62741 34679). The site’s chronology and loss-on-ignition (LOI) analyses are also provided. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/60952512-b682-4bd6-a609-365f64944fda

Loch Tarbert deeply bisects the south Hebridean island of Jura. It is a relatively small and shallow fiordic loch, some 11 km in length and 43 m at its deepest point. The loch is divided into three basins by the shallow narrows of Cumhann Mor and Cumhann Beag, the latter a very long and tortuous channel. The outer basin, subject to Atlantic swells and exposured to wave action, contrasts with the extremely sheltered and brackish inner basin. There are only weak tidal currents throughout much of the loch, but much stronger currents run through each of the narrows. Despite its proximity to mainland Scotland, and in contrast to most other Scottish lochs, Loch Tarbert is almost completely undeveloped. Only two houses lie beside its shores and the surrounding mountainous land is almost entirely given over to Jura's extensive population of deer. At present there is little mariculture or fishing activity within the loch. The loch was previously surveyed by Smith (1982) and Hiscock (1983) for the Nature Conservancy Council. The present survey, in 1990, complements these earlier surveys and contributes to the MNCR Survey of Scottish sealochs, which is being undertaken jointly by the MNCR and the University Marine Biological Station, Millport. The results from all three surveys have been incorporated here. In all nine shore sites and 19 sublittoral sites have been surveyed, From the data four littoral and 12 sublittoral habitat/community types are described, and 516 taxa listed. The shores were predominantly rocky and covered by fucoid algae. Within the two narrows enhanced currents yielded rich lower shore communities of sponges, hydroids and ascidians. The more exposed shores in the outer basin were not examined. The sediment shores supported populations of the lugworm Arenicola marina and the cockle Cerastoderma edule. Some extremely sheltered embayments had patches of the eelgrass Zostera nana and the unattached knotted wrack Ascophyllum nodosum ecad mackaii. In the sublittoral the sheltered middle basin had a narrow band of the kelp Laminaria saccharina which gave way to muddy plains at 2-3 m with populations of the seapen Virgularia mirabilis and the opisthobranch mollusc Philine aperta. In the outer loch rocky habitats extended to 5-12 m depth and supported a Laminaria hyperborea kelp forest, with L. saccharina on more unstable rocks. Below this sediment plains again supported populations of Virgularia mirabilis, but were accompanied here by the bivalve Arctica islandica, the heart urchin Echinocardium cordatum and the brittlestar Amphiura brachiata. Shallow sediments were covered by mats of filamentous algae. In the narrows there was a mixture of tideswept rock with L. hyperborea and Halidrys siliquosa and coarse gravels with sparse maerl, burrowing anemones and the sea cucumber Neopentadactyla mixta. For its size Loch Tarbert is subject to a particularly wide range of wave exposures, tidal currents and salinity. Habitat diversity within the loch is moderately high and species richness is high. Five of the habitat/community types and two species have been rated of conservation importance. The Cumhann Beag narrows is considered the most biologically interesting part of the loch and its shores are recommended for designation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Records currently considered sensitive have been removed from this dataset.

Tämä tietoaineisto sisältää tietoa useista paleoekologisista sijaismuuttujista – siitepöly, siitepölyttömät palynomorfit, itiöt, mikrohiili, kasvimakrofossiilit ja makrohiili – jotka on tuotettu Cambusurich Wood Site of Special Scientific Interest, Scotland (Ordnance Survey grid reference: NN 62741 34679). Lisäksi esitetään laitoksen kronologia ja sytytyshäviöanalyysit (Lost-on-Signition, LEI). Yksityiskohtaiset tiedot tästä aineistosta ovat saatavilla osoitteessa https://doi.org/10.5285/60952512-b682-4bd6-a609-365f64944fda.

Loch Tarbert deeply bisects the south Hebridean island of Jura. It is a relatively small and shallow fiordic loch, some 11 km in length and 43 m at its deepest point. The loch is divided into three basins by the shallow narrows of Cumhann Mor and Cumhann Beag, the latter a very long and tortuous channel. The outer basin, subject to Atlantic swells and exposured to wave action, contrasts with the extremely sheltered and brackish inner basin. There are only weak tidal currents throughout much of the loch, but much stronger currents run through each of the narrows. Despite its proximity to mainland Scotland, and in contrast to most other Scottish lochs, Loch Tarbert is almost completely undeveloped. Only two houses lie beside its shores and the surrounding mountainous land is almost entirely given over to Jura's extensive population of deer. At present there is little mariculture or fishing activity within the loch. The loch was previously surveyed by Smith (1982) and Hiscock (1983) for the Nature Conservancy Council. The present survey, in 1990, complements these earlier surveys and contributes to the MNCR Survey of Scottish sealochs, which is being undertaken jointly by the MNCR and the University Marine Biological Station, Millport. The results from all three surveys have been incorporated here. In all nine shore sites and 19 sublittoral sites have been surveyed, From the data four littoral and 12 sublittoral habitat/community types are described, and 516 taxa listed. The shores were predominantly rocky and covered by fucoid algae. Within the two narrows enhanced currents yielded rich lower shore communities of sponges, hydroids and ascidians. The more exposed shores in the outer basin were not examined. The sediment shores supported populations of the lugworm Arenicola marina and the cockle Cerastoderma edule. Some extremely sheltered embayments had patches of the eelgrass Zostera nana and the unattached knotted wrack Ascophyllum nodosum ecad mackaii. In the sublittoral the sheltered middle basin had a narrow band of the kelp Laminaria saccharina which gave way to muddy plains at 2-3 m with populations of the seapen Virgularia mirabilis and the opisthobranch mollusc Philine aperta. In the outer loch rocky habitats extended to 5-12 m depth and supported a Laminaria hyperborea kelp forest, with L. saccharina on more unstable rocks. Below this sediment plains again supported populations of Virgularia mirabilis, but were accompanied here by the bivalve Arctica islandica, the heart urchin Echinocardium cordatum and the brittlestar Amphiura brachiata. Shallow sediments were covered by mats of filamentous algae. In the narrows there was a mixture of tideswept rock with L. hyperborea and Halidrys siliquosa and coarse gravels with sparse maerl, burrowing anemones and the sea cucumber Neopentadactyla mixta. For its size Loch Tarbert is subject to a particularly wide range of wave exposures, tidal currents and salinity. Habitat diversity within the loch is moderately high and species richness is high. Five of the habitat/community types and two species have been rated of conservation importance. The Cumhann Beag narrows is considered the most biologically interesting part of the loch and its shores are recommended for designation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Records currently considered sensitive have been removed from this dataset.