This is a list of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham. ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. , There are 35 sites designated within this Area of Search, of which 18 have been designated due to their biological interest, 14 due to its geological interest, and 3 for both biological and geological interest. In England the body responsible for designating SSSIs is Natural England, which 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''. ...

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring ( indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. ...

, geological or physiographical features. Natural England took over the role of designating and managing SSSIs from English Nature in October 2006 when it was formed from the amalgamation of English Nature, parts of the Countryside Agency and the

Rural Development Service The Rural Development Service (RDS) was formerly part of the UK Government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). It ceased to exist on 1 October 2006 following the creation of Natural England. History The RDS was crea ...

. Natural England, like its predecessor, uses the 1974–1996 county system and as such the same approach is followed here, rather than, for example, merging all

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

sites into a single list. Natural England produces citation sheets for each SSSI and are the main source of information for this list.
Natural England
' citation sheets for each SSSI. Retrieved 2007-03-04. South Yorkshire's geography can be split into different types. The very west of South Yorkshire is part of Dark Peak which is part of the Peak District National Park and lies to the west of

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...

. This extensive moorland is one of the largest semi-natural areas in England and has broad

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

s with rocky outcrops interspersed with valleys. Moving east the land elevation drops with a transition from the peak district to coal fields. Much of this area of transition has seen urban development with Sheffield being a good example. The central region, to the north of

is largely dependent on the presence of coal measures in the areas geology. This is reflected by ancient woodlands, valley wetlands and large arable fields where there is no urban development. To the east of the coal measures is a strip of Magnesian Limestone which runs north to south between Sheffield and

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

. This open landscape is characterised by ancient woodlands and limestone grasslands and often has historic limestone monuments. However the light and dry soils are ideal for cultivation which means little of the original habitat remains. In the very east of South Yorkshire the

Humberhead Levels The Humberhead Levels is a national character area covering a large expanse of flat, low-lying land towards the western end of the Humber estuary in northern England. The levels occupy the former Glacial Lake Humber, an area bounded to the east ...

dominate, with the area being relatively flat and dominated by the areas river systems. The area is predominantly covered with small fields or areas of peatland.

Sites

Notes

:Data rounded to one decimal place. :Grid reference is based on the

British national grid reference system 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 ...

, 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 t ...

, 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 ''English Nature''. :The Dark Peak site extends into three other counties and so can be found on lists of SSSIs in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...

and

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

. :Incorporates three formers SSSIs: Hallam Moors being first notified in 1955, Eastern Moors in 1964 and Houndkirk Moor in 1972. :SSSI is split between South Yorkshire and

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...

. 36.7 hectares (90.6 acres) is in South Yorkshire. :SSSI is split between South Yorkshire, the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire t ...

and

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

. 1309.1 hectares (3234.7 acres) lie in South Yorkshire.

References

{{SSSI AOS lists

Geography of South Yorkshire Sites of Special Scientific Interest

Sites

See also

Notes

References