Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI), Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) and regionally important geological site (RIGS) are designations used by local authorities in the United Kingdom for sites of substantive local nature conservation and geological value. The

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United K ...

has recommended the generic term 'local site', which is divided into 'local wildlife site' and 'local geological site'. There are approximately 35,000 local sites, and according to the former Minister for Biodiversity,

Jim Knight James Philip Knight, Baron Knight of Weymouth, (born 6 March 1965) is a British politician who served as Minister for the South West and Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform from 2009 to 2010. A member of the Labour Party and ...

, they make a vital contribution to delivering the UK and Local Biodiversity Action Plans and the Geodiversity Action Plan, as well as maintaining local natural character and distinctiveness.

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) and local nature reserves (LNRs) have statutory protection, but they are only intended to cover a representative selection of sites, and Local sites are intended to provide comprehensive coverage of sites of nature conservation value. Local sites do not have statutory protection (unless they are also SSSIs or LNRs), but local authorities are expected to take account of the need to protect them in deciding their planning and development policies.

Selection methodology

Local sites are designated by local authorities in cooperation with

Wildlife Trusts The Wildlife Trusts, the trading name of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, is an organisation made up of 46 local Wildlife Trusts in the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and Alderney. The Wildlife Trusts, between them, look after more than 2, ...

, RIGS Groups or Geology Trusts, or their equivalents. For example, in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, local wildlife sites are identified by the

Kent Wildlife Trust Kent Wildlife Trust (KWT) is a conservation charity in the United Kingdom that was founded in 1958, previously known as the Kent Trust for Nature Conservation. It aims to "work with people to restore, save and improve our natural spaces" and t ...

). Selection is objective and is normally based upon a recent survey specifically designed for SNCI, but selection on the basis of existing, published information may also occur. The approach is similar to that used for the selection of biological

(SSSI), but the thresholds are lower. Selection is primarily for habitats of inherent wildlife interest, but some sites may be selected for supporting rare or scarce species of plants or animals outside such habitats. The areas concerned may be areas of 'natural' habitats, or they may be man-made – for example, the

West Norwood Cemetery West Norwood Cemetery is a rural cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery. One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the " Magnificent Seven" cemeteries of L ...

is designated a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation by the

London Borough of Lambeth Lambeth () is a London boroughs, London borough in South London, England, which forms part of Inner London. Its name was recorded in 1062 as ''Lambehitha'' ("landing place for lambs") and in 1255 as ''Lambeth''. The geographical centre of London ...

Once identified, designation and protection of the areas are done by local authorities through planning policies in their

development plan A development plan sets out a local authority's policies and proposals for land use in their area. The term is usually used in the United Kingdom. A Local Plan is one type of development plan. The development plan guides and shapes day-to-day dec ...

s. National government guidance (

PPS 9 Planning Policy Statement 9: Biodiversity and Geological Conservation commonly abbreviated as PPS9, was a document produced by the British Government to advise Local planning authorities on planning policies for the protection of biodiversity a ...

) requires all development plans to include such policies. The variation in names for the designation reflects its separate existence in the different development plans for different areas. In some areas, the designation is subdivided, or additional, more local designations are also used. For example, in

Greater London Greater may refer to: *Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality *Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film *Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record *Greater (song), "Greate ...

SINCs are divided into the following grades: * Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation * Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation (Grade I and Grade II) * Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation

References

External links

*
Greenspace Information for Greater London, a database which covers most publicly accessible London SINCs
* *{{cite web, title=Wildlife Sites Guidance Wales, url=http://www.biodiversitywales.org.uk/File/165/en-GB, publisher=Wales Biodiversity Partnership, date=February 2008 Nature reserves in the United Kingdom Protected areas of the United Kingdom

Selection methodology

See also

References

External links