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. Protection and management It is an offence for anyone to intentionally or recklessly damage the protected natural features of an SSSI. Most SSSIs are in private ownership and we work closely with their owners and managers to ensure: appropriate management of a site’s natural features; that all decision-makers are aware of the designation when considering changes in land use or other activities that might affect an SSSI. NatureScot must provide each SSSI owner and occupier with a site management statement. This describes the interest of the site and explains the management needed to conserve its protected natural features. You can access site management statements for all SSSIs via SiteLink. Read our Sites of Special Scientific Interest booklet for owners and occupiers of SSSIs. Anyone who manages an SSSI may also be eligible for funding through the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP).Complete metadata on spatialdata.gov.scot

This spatial dataset contains the digital boundaries of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in Wales. SSSIs cover a wide range of habitats from small fens, bogs and riverside meadows to sand-dunes, woodlands and vast tracts of uplands. Most are in private ownership, although some are owned and managed by local wildlife trusts, or other voluntary conservation bodies.

Notification of an SSSI under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 has since been amended by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2001, which brought about numerous changes in the way SSSI are notified managed and protected.

In order to ensure consistent, favourable long-term management of these sites, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) with landowners have prepared management plans for all SSSI in Wales. Local planning authorities are required to consult NRW before allowing any development to proceed that may affect an SSSI. Water, gas and electricity companies must also do the same.

SSSIs have been designated, from 1949 to the present day, and are on-going. The data has been held digitally since the mid-1990s. This data has been checked by relevant NRW staff. Please refer to the designation map as the legal definitive boundary. For large SSSIs that were captured digitally and have been printed on a smaller scale map than OS MasterMap, please refer to the OS MasterMap edition at time of capture to view the definitive boundary.

A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is the land notified as an SSSI under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), as amended. Sites notified under the 1949 Act only are not included in the Data set. SSSI are the finest sites for wildlife and natural features in England, supporting many characteristic, rare and endangered species, habitats and natural features. The data do not include "proposed" sites. Boundaries are generally mapped against Ordnance Survey MasterMap.

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.

A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is the land notified as an SSSI under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), as amended. Sites notified under the 1949 Act only are not included in the Data set. SSSI are the finest sites for wildlife and natural features in England, supporting many characteristic, rare and endangered species, habitats and natural features. The data does Not include "proposed" sites. Boundaries are generally mapped against Ordnance Survey MasterMap Topography Layer.Full metadata can be viewed on data.gov.uk.

This WMS displays SSSI polygons with their current Site Condition Monitoring status information

Site Units are divisions of SSSIs. based on habitat, tenure and management, and are the basis for recording all information on SSSI Condition and management. They range in Area from 0.004ha up to 18,000ha and only overlap where SSSIs overlap. Boundaries are generally mapped against Ordnance Survey MasterMap.

Web Mapping Service containing data about the various designated sites (protected areas) in Scotland.

The SSSI IRZs are a Geographical Information System (GIS) tool developed by Natural England to make rapid initial assessment of the potential risks posed by development proposals to SSSIs and those Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Special Protection Areas (SPAs) or Ramsar sites that they underpin. They define zones around each site which reflect the sensitivities of the features for which the site is notified and indicate the types of development proposal which could potentially have adverse impacts and need further consideration. In certain locations they also include Natural England's statutory advice for certain development types.LPAs can use the SSSI IRZs to consider if a proposed development is likely to affect a terrestrial SSSI and those SACs, SPAs or Ramsar sites that they underpin and when to consult Natural England to seek advice. Where the SSSI IRZs include Natural England's statutory advice or indicate a risk is unlikely, LPAs can use the SSSI IRZs to instantly generate a formal consultation response.Add the SSSI IRZs to your own GIS using the Web Map Service (WMS) link or download from the dropdown menu above or the links below. Download the latest update (January 2025) in ESRI Shapefile format.

Use the SSSI IRZs online on the MAGIC website. View the SSSI IRZs user guidance to learn how to interpret and use the SSSI IRZs. Alternatively, a training video is available that includes a step-by-step description of how to use the SSSI IRZs tool. For information on when LPAs must consult Natural England when considering development proposals refer to Planning and transport authorities: get environmental advice on planning - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). For information on how developers can get advice from Natural England on planning applications refer to Developers: get environmental advice on your planning proposals - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Full metadata can be viewed on data.gov.uk.

The Impact Risk Zones for Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI IRZs) are for local planning authorities (LPAs) to determine if a proposed development is likely to affect a terrestrial SSSI and when to consult Natural England.

The SSSI IRZs are a Geographical Information System (GIS) tool developed by Natural England to make rapid initial assessment of the potential risks posed by development proposals to SSSIs and those Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Special Protection Areas (SPAs) or Ramsar sites that they underpin. They define zones around each site which reflect the sensitivities of the features for which the site is notified and indicate the types of development proposal which could potentially have adverse impacts and need further consideration. In certain locations they also include Natural England's statutory advice for certain development types.

LPAs can use the SSSI IRZs to consider if a proposed development is likely to affect a terrestrial SSSI and those SACs, SPAs or Ramsar sites that they underpin and when to consult Natural England to seek advice. Where the SSSI IRZs include Natural England's statutory advice or indicate a risk is unlikely, LPAs can use the SSSI IRZs to instantly generate a formal consultation response.

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.

This is a subset of the Natural England Sites of Special Scientific Interest Units (England) layer extracting only those sites which are lakes. The layer was generated by running the Join Features tool with a table of SSSI lake sites provided by Natural England.

The majority of GCR sites, therefore, now have statutory protection through designation as notified features in SSSIs. In these cases the GCR site boundary indicates the extent of the Earth science interest within the SSSI. Some GCR sites, however, remain unnotified and are known as unnotified GCR sites. National Park Authorities and some Local Authorities treat these as candidate SSSIs and afford them the same protection as SSSIs. Some unnotified GCR sites are also Local Geodiversity Sites (LGS), and as such they are afforded levels of protection appropriate to locally important sites (though they are, themselves, considered to be of national or international importance). The remaining unnotified GCR sites have no statutory protection, although they are considered to be sites of national or international importance. Initially developed between 1977 and 1990, the GCR network is periodically updated and this dataset is subject to change. Boundaries of GCR sites are often not co-incident with SSSIs. More information: https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/local-designations/geological-conservation-review-sites Complete metadata on spatialdata.gov.scot

Satellite and topographic image map (edition 2) of Windmill Islands, Antarctica. A satellite image map (second edition) was produced in 1995, and a topographic map (second edition) was produced in 1997. A double sided map containing both the satellite and topographic maps was produced for the Australian Antarctic Division by AUSLIG (now Geoscience Australia) Commercial, in Australia, in 1997. Both maps are at a scale of 1:50000.

The satellite map was produced from merged SPOT multispectral and panchromatic data (341-487, 341-488). It is projected on a Transverse Mercator projection, and shows glaciers/ice shelves, station/bases, refuge/depot, sites of special scientific interest (SSSI), specially protected areas (SPA), and gives some historical text information. The map has both geographical and UTM co-ordinates.

Data sources for the topographic map are: Coastline, rock/ice interface, contours on rock and spot heights are produced from ANARE aerial photography (January 1994); Approximate contours north of Campbell Nunatak are derived from the November 1989 edition of the map; Approximate contours south of Campbell Nunatak are derived from Soviet mapping (1:100000)dating 1963. It is projected on a universal transverse mercator projection, and shows ship anchorages, traverses/routes/foot track charts, geology, glaciers/ice shelves, penguin colonies, birds, other fauna, stations/bases, refuge/depots, runways/helipads, sites of special scientific interest (SSSI), specially protected areas (SPA), and gives some historical text information. The map has both geographical and UTM co-ordinates.

The national network of SSSI forms a representative suite of the country's very best wildlife and geographical sites. The legislation behind SSSIs gives Natural England powers to ensure better protection and management of the sites and safeguard their existence into the future. A SSSI is the land notified as an SSSI under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), as amended. SSSIs notified under the 1949 Act only are not included in the data set.

Spatial data supporting the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) additional point scoring for ammonia capture. There is no Additional Contribution for ammonia capture but EWCO supports action to address air pollution. Additional points are available for creating shelterbelts designed to capture ammonia emissions from farm sources in locations where there is a potential risk of air pollution impacting a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) – where sensitive habitats or species could be impacted by direct toxic effects of ammonia, nitrogen deposition or acidification from ammonia emissions.The land under this dataset meets the following criteria:

Within any SSSI buffered by 1km (generalised to 200m).

AND

Within a SSSI Impact Risk Zone where the Air Pollution component is not null.Data input sources:

Site of Special Scientific Interest (England) – Natural England

SSSI Impact Risk Zones (England) – Natural England

Attributes:

‘status’ – features assigned as ‘Meets air quality criteria’

‘pnts’ – point value awarded to applications

This indicator is no longer maintained, and is considered OBSOLETE.

INDICATOR DEFINITION The number of permits issued by the Australian Antarctic Division for entry into any Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) in the Australian Antarctic Territory.

TYPE OF INDICATOR There are three types of indicators used in this report: 1.Describes the CONDITION of important elements of a system; 2.Show the extent of the major PRESSURES exerted on a system; 3.Determine RESPONSES to either condition or changes in the condition of a system.

This indicator is one of: PRESSURE and RESPONSE

RATIONALE FOR INDICATOR SELECTION Australian Antarctic and sub-Antarctic territories are systematically evaluated to determine the need for special protection to be afforded to specific areas, with protection provided formally under Australian law and consistent with appropriate international agreements.

Visits to areas protected under legislation are governed by a permit system whereby visits may only be undertaken with prior permission. This provides an easily verifiable database of information on activities within protected areas under the headings of &science&, &management& and &operational&.

The sensitivity of these areas makes it important that any activities within their boundaries are monitored.

DESIGN AND STRATEGY FOR INDICATOR MONITORING PROGRAM Spatial scale: For the Australian Antarctic Territory, the whole of Antarctica, and the Territory of Heard Island and the McDonald Islands.

Frequency: Annual report.

Measurement technique: Each year activities requiring entry into protected areas must apply for a permit. Records are kept in a database, an annual report of total permits issued is obtained with the number for each area also reported.

RESEARCH ISSUES A more reliable method of monitoring potential cumulative impacts on these areas.

LINKS TO OTHER INDICATORS Number and area of protected areas. Species and numbers of species killed, taken or interfered with or disturbed in the Antarctic and the sub-Antarctic for the purpose of scientific research.

This database and mapping tool was produced to allow the identification of sites important to this incredibly diverse range of grassland fungal species for which Scotland is important on a global scale. Promotion of this project could lead to a great amount of these vulnerable sites being managed for their waxcaps, leading directly to the conservation of biodiversity, including several species on the Scottish Biodiversity List.Included layers:Heatmap of grassland fungi to the 10km level. The fewest species per square is represented by the lightest colour and the highest species per square represented by darkest colour. ADVICE: This layer is ideal for giving an overview of records in the area, but it doesn’t mean the fungi are throughout the area, or that the whole area is unimproved grassland.Heatmap of grassland fungi to the 1km level. The fewest species per square is represented by the lightest colour and the highest species per square represented by darkest colour. ADVICE: 1km grid square layer may provide a false picture and a blank square does not necessarily mean that no grassland fungi are there. Accurate georeferencing of biological records before the age of GPS and specialist phone apps was rare with many blocks of records being given the same centroid grid reference. Also, it would be common for many recorders to record the first find of a species on a site and none thereafter. THE 10KM SQUARE SHOULD BE LOOKED AT ALONGSIDE THIS LAYER.Point layer showing the Waxcap Sites. Sites are based centroid grid references for a spread of records in the area. The sites do not have clear boundaries, and so some form of local habitat knowledge is needed to set actual site boundaries within the real-world boundaries of unimproved grassland.• RED: Any site passing any of the SSSI thresholds• AMBER: Any site not passing any of the SSSI thresholds but with more than 11 species of Hygrocybe s.l. or with more than 4 IUCN species or with more than 4 indicator species.• GREEN: Any other site that has records of grassland fungi.Complete metadata on spatialdata.gov.scot.Data was collected from data holders from January to July 2023This database uses SSSI lists from 2018 JNCC guidelinesThis database uses a 2013 Bolete Fungi Red ListTaxonomy choices are correct in 2023See report for full referencesThis database has collated records of grassland species from the various fungus record holding institutions, ‘cleaned’ them, classified ‘sites’, and then rates sites and grid squares their mycological diversity using both the SSSI guidelines and the CHEGD grassland fungi rating system to allow judgements on their richness. There is also data on other fungal features such as phenology, and the presence of Red Listed species. With the information in this database, sites that qualify for fungal SSSI designation can be identified, and tools such as interactive maps made to allow land users to recognise sites of importance.The database of information and the GIS layers were created by the contractor David Mitchel. This contractor has also made Grassland fungi databases for statutory nature organisations in Ireland, N. Ireland, Wales, and England, and the databases are intercompatible.The data was collected from a variety of recording groups, individuals and biological record centres. These sources can be found in the Research Report RR1372

A Natural England commissioned verification survey. Littoral biotope survey and condition assessment of the Tamar, Tavy & St John's Lake SSSI. The purpose of the study was to establish a physical and biological baseline dataset to facilitate an assessment of favourable condition status of littoral sediment habitats of the SSSI site, as well as identifying species and biotopes that are representative and/or notable within the Tamar, Tavy & St John's Lake. The study comprised of Phase I and Phase II surveys. Phase I comprised of groundtruthing aerial photography to establish the distribution and extent of intertidal biotopes, interest features and species. Followed by Phase II; detailed descriptions of biotopes present , flora and fauna species list and abundance, as well as sediment characteristics by means of box-core sampling. The data was used to produce a detailed biotope map of the Tamar, Tavy & St John's Lake.

A Natural England commissioned verification survey. Littoral biotope survey and condition assessment of the Lynher Estuary SSSI. The purpose of the study was to establish a physical and biological baseline dataset to facilitate an assessment of favourable condition status of littoral sediment habitats of the SSSI site, as well as identifying species and biotopes that are representative and/or notable within the Lynher Estuary, in particular the distribution and extent of saltmarsh. The study comprised of Phase I and Phase II surveys. Phase I comprised of groundtruthing aerial photography to establish the distribution and extent of intertidal biotopes, interest features and species. Followed by Phase II; detailed descriptions of biotopes present , flora and fauna species list and abundance, as well as sediment characteristics by means of box-core sampling. The data was used to produce a detailed biotope map of the Lynher Estuary.