Selection of important areas for wildlife conservation in Great Britain: the Nature Conservancy Council’s approach

Abstract

This chapter deals with evaluation which is integral to the selection, by the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC), of a countrywide (national) series of sites, each deserving protected status by some statutory designation. The National Nature Reserve (NNR) was formerly the main instrument of site safeguard available to the NCC but, since 1981, the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) has largely assumed this function. Although ‘site’ connotes a specific location, it has become equated with ‘area’ in meaning, and this usage is adopted officially in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales — Northern Ireland is excluded). There are four background considerations integral to this site safeguard strategy.