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This is a list of the
Sites of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
(SSSIs) in
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
.
Natural England
Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...
, the designating body for SSSIs in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, uses the
1974-1996 county system, and this list follows the same approach. Some sites you may expect to find here could therefore be in the
Avon list. It may also be that a site may on the borders of more than one county. It may also be on the country borders.
Natural England
Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...
chooses a site because of its
fauna
Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is ''funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as ''Biota (ecology ...
,
flora
Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...
,
geological
Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other E ...
or physiographical features. As of 2012, there are 121 sites designated in this
Area of Search
The following is a list of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by area of search, in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are areas of conservation, consisting of protected areas, recognised for their biological or geological significance. In Northe ...
, of which 69 have been designated due to their biological interest, 32 due to their geological interest, and 20 for both.
Gloucestershire has 3
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of thei ...
being the
Cotswolds,
Malvern Hills
The Malvern Hills are in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern. The highest summit aff ...
, and the
Wye Valley
The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; cy, Dyffryn Gwy) is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales.
The River Wye ( cy, Afon Gwy) is the fourth-longest river in th ...
(the latter is also partly in Wales). These areas may include several SSSIs, or be named an SSSI as is the case for the Malvern Hills.
Gloucestershire has 2 designated
Ramsar sites being the
Severn Estuary
The Severn Estuary ( cy, Aber Hafren) is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England and South Wales. Its high tidal range, approximately , means that it has been at the centre of discussions in t ...
and
Walmore Common both SSSIs. These two sites are also designated as
Special Protection Area
A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certa ...
s (SPA) under the EC Directive on the conservation of Wild Birds.
Gloucestershire has 7 recognised
Special Areas of Conservation
A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...
(SAC), several of which bring together more than one SSSI. These are:
Cotswold Beechwoods;
Dixton Wood;
River Wye/ Afon Gwy;
Rodborough Common
Rodborough Common is a biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1954. The site is listed in the ‘Stroud District’ Local Plan, adopted November 2005, Appendix 6 (online for download) as ...
;
Severn Estuary
The Severn Estuary ( cy, Aber Hafren) is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England and South Wales. Its high tidal range, approximately , means that it has been at the centre of discussions in t ...
; Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Bat Sites/ Safleoedd Ystlumod Dyffryn Gwy a Fforest y Ddena; Wye Valley Woodlands/ Coetiroedd Dyffryn Gwy.
Highbury Wood SSSI and the
Cotswold Commons and Beechwoods SSSI are
national nature reserves (NNR).
Lady Park Wood
Lady Park Wood National Nature Reserve () is a nature reserve straddling the borders of Gloucestershire in England and Monmouthshire in Wales. Most of the wood is in Wales – where it forms Wales' easternmost point – but it is managed under ...
(part of the wood is in Gloucestershire and part in Monmouthshire) is a national nature reserve.
A significant number of the SSSIs are recognised by the relevant local authorities as Key Wildlife Sites and
Regionally Important Geological/Geomorphological Sites. There are c. 800 recognised Key Wildlife Sites in Gloucestershire.
For other counties, see
List of SSSIs by Area of Search.
Sites
See also
*
Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust
The Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is the Gloucestershire local partner in a conservation network of 46 Wildlife Trusts. The Wildlife Trusts are local charities with the specific aim of protecting the United Kingdom's natural heritage. The Gl ...
*
Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) is an international wildfowl and wetland conservation charity in the United Kingdom. Its patron is Charles III, and its president is Kate Humble.
History
The WWT was founded in 1946 by the ornithologist a ...
*
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a charitable organisation registered in England and Wales and in Scotland. It was founded in 1889. It works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment thr ...
*
Woodland Trust
The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the United Kingdom and is concerned with the creation, protection, and restoration of native woodland heritage. It has planted over 50 million trees since 1972.
The Woodland Tr ...
*
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for the management of publicly owned forests and the regulation of both public and private forestry in England.
The Forestry Commission was previously also respon ...
Notes
:Data rounded to one decimal place.
:Grid reference is based on the
British national grid reference system, also known as
OSGB36
The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system (OSGB) (also known as British National Grid (BNG)) is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, distinct from latitude and longitude.
The Ordnance Survey (OS) devised the ...
, and is the system used by the
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. There was a ...
.
:Link to maps using the ''Nature on the Map'' service provided by ''Natural England''.
References
''Natural England'' citation sheets for each SSSI. Retrieved on 18 June 2011 and 10 August 2012
Alderton Hill QuarryAshleworth HamAstridge WoodBadgeworthBarnsley WarrenBarton BushesBigsweir WoodsBlaisdon HallBourton DownBox Farm MeadowsBoxwellBrassey Reserve And Windrush ValleyBrooks Head GroveBuckshraft Mine & Bradley Hill Railway TunnelBull Cross, The Frith And Juniper Hill Bushley Muzzard, Brimpsfield Caerwood And Ashberry Goose House Campden Tunnel Gravel Pit Chaceley MeadowClarke's Pool MeadowCleeve CommonCoaley Wood QuarriesCockleford MarshCollinpark Wood Coombe Hill Coombe Hill Canal Cotswold Commons And Beechwoods Cotswold Water Park Crickley Hill And Barrow Wake Daneway Banks Dean Hall Coach House & Cellar Devil's Chapel Scowles Dingle WoodDixton Wood Dymock Woods Easter Park Farm Quarry Edge Common Edgehills QuarryElmlea MeadowsFoss Cross QuarryFrampton Pools Garden Cliff Hampen Railway Cutting Haresfield Beacon Harford Railway Cutting Highbury Wood Hobb's Quarry, LonghopeHornsleasow Quarry Hornsleasow Roughs Hucclecote Meadows Huntsman's Quarry Innsworth Meadow Jackdaw Quarry Juniper Hill, Edgeworth Kemble Railway Cuttings Kempley Daffodil Meadow Kingscote And Horsley Woods Knap House Quarry, Birdlip Land Grove Quarry, Mitcheldean Lark Wood Leckhampton Hill And Charlton Kings CommonLineover WoodLonghope Hill Lower Wye Gorge Lydney Cliff May Hill Meezy Hurst Minchinhampton CommonNagshead New Park Quarry Nibley Knoll Notgrove Railway Cutting Oakenhill Railway CuttingOld Bow And Old Ham MinesOld River Severn, Upper LodePennsylvania Fields, SedburyPoor's Allotment Puckham WoodsPuddlebrook Quarry Purton Passage Range Farm Fields River Wye Robin's Wood Hill Quarry Rodborough Common Rough Bank, MiserdenSalmonsbury MeadowsScully Grove Quarry Selsley CommonSevern Estuary Severn Ham, Tewkesbury Shorn Cliff And Caswell Woods Slade Brook Soudley Ponds Speech House Oaks Stenders Quarry Stinchcombe HillStony Furlong Railway CuttingStrawberry BanksSwanpool Wood And Furnace GroveSwift's HillSylvan House BarnThe HudnallsThe Malvern HillsTudor Farm BankTurvey's PieceUpham Meadow And Summer LeasowUpper Severn EstuaryUpper Wye GorgeVeizey's QuarryWainlode CliffWalmore CommonWellacre QuarryWestbury Brook Ironstone MineWhelford MeadowWigpool Ironstone MineWildmoorway Meadows Winson MeadowsWood Green Quarry & Railway Cutting Woodchester Park Wotton HillYarley Meadows
{{SSSI AOS lists
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire
Site most often refers to:
* Archaeological site
* Campsite, a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area
* Construction site
* Location, a point or an area on the Earth's surface or elsewhere
* Website, a set of related web pages, typically ...
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
Sites