Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)

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.

Identifier: NRW_DS98776

Alternative Title

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).lyr
Sites (SSSI)

Metadata Language: English

Lineage: All SSSIs designated before GIS technology have been converted into digital data from paper maps of various scales. In 2008 the whole dataset was updated to OS MasterMap (mostly to CCW 2006 OS update). This update referred to the original designation maps and all notational descriptions on these maps e.g. “Only the water under the bridges included in the site” OR “SSSI boundary follows, in part the lines of the Mean High and Low Water Marks; both are liable to change.” All new or re-notified sites will be put to the latest release by NRW of OS MasterMap and this information is recorded in the attribute data under the Last_Edited column. As OSMM is updated by the Ordnance Survey it is important to check where boundaries may subsequently have moved.

Additional Information: Please refer to Countryside Acts 1949,1981 and 2001, for reasons for capture of original designation. NRW has also created a subset of this dataset showing only those where relate to the marine environment. These are available on the Welsh Government marine planning portal.

Dataset Reference Date (Publication): 2024-11-05

Temporal Extent

Begin date: 1992-01-01

Topic category

Biota
Environment
Imagery base maps earth cover
Geoscientific information

Owner

Natural Resources Wales (NRW)

Maes-y-Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2DW, Wales

http://naturalresources.wales/?lang=en

Originator

Natural Resources Wales (NRW)

Maes-y-Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2DW, Wales

http://naturalresources.wales/?lang=en

Extent

Geographic Extent: Wales (WLS)

Vertical Extent

Medin Extent Keyword: inapplicable

Distribution

Format Type and Description

Geographic Information System ( )

Specification

ESRI Feature Class

Resource Locator: Download Data and Web Service ( WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link )

Resource Locator: Web Mapping Service ( OGC:WMS )

Data quality

Quality Scope: Dataset

Conformity: Commission Regulation (EU) No 1089/2010 of 23 November 2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards interoperability of spatial data sets and services
Explanation
Degree: false

Lineage: All SSSIs designated before GIS technology have been converted into digital data from paper maps of various scales. In 2008 the whole dataset was updated to OS MasterMap (mostly to CCW 2006 OS update). This update referred to the original designation maps and all notational descriptions on these maps e.g. “Only the water under the bridges included in the site” OR “SSSI boundary follows, in part the lines of the Mean High and Low Water Marks; both are liable to change.” All new or re-notified sites will be put to the latest release by NRW of OS MasterMap and this information is recorded in the attribute data under the Last_Edited column. As OSMM is updated by the Ordnance Survey it is important to check where boundaries may subsequently have moved.

Keywords

GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0

Type: Theme

Citation

Date (Publication): 2008-06-01

Code: geonetwork.thesaurus.external.theme.httpinspireeceuropaeutheme-theme

Keywords

NRW Thesaurus

conservation (see also conservation of specific subjects)
geographical information systems (GIS)
habitats (see also specific types of habitats)
Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

Type: Theme

Citation

Date (Publication): 2024-06-19

Code: geonetwork.thesaurus.local.theme.converted_nrw-keywords

Keywords

SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary

Habitat extent
Habitat characterisation

Type: Theme

Citation

Date (Publication): 2024-06-19

Code: geonetwork.thesaurus.external.theme.rdf+xml

Keywords

NRW SMNR Keywords

Management Areas (SMNR)
Ecosystem (SMNR)
Soil and Land (SMNR)
Ecosystem Services (SMNR)
Cultural Services (SMNR)
Semi-natural Grasslands (SMNR)
Provisioning Services (SMNR)
Animals, Plants and Other Organisms (SMNR)
Sea and Coast (SMNR)
Coastal Margins (SMNR)
Sustainable Management of Natural Resources (SMNR)
Woodlands (SMNR)
Natural Resources (Incl. Features and Processes) (SMNR)
Regulating Services (SMNR)
Physical Geography (Physiography) (SMNR)
Mountains, Moorland and Heaths (SMNR)
Marine (SMNR)
Freshwater and Wetlands (SMNR)

Type: Theme

Citation

Date (Publication): 2024-06-26

Code: geonetwork.thesaurus.local.theme.converted_nrw-smnr-keywords

Code: British National Grid (EPSG::27700)

Content Information

NRW Profile

Custom Elements

Constraints

Limitations on Public Access and Use

Restriction type: Other restrictions

Access Constraints Directive

Limitations: no limitations

Access Constraints Text

Other constraints: There are no access restrictions on this data. NRW may release, publish or disseminate it freely.

Use Constraints

Use constraints type: Other restrictions

Other constraints: © CNC/NRW All rights Reserved. Contains Ordnance Survey Data. Ordnance Survey Licence number AC0000849444. Crown Copyright and Database Right Data may be re-used under the terms of the Open Government Licence providing it is done so, acknowledging both the source and copyright of the owners. It is the recipient's responsibility to ensure the data is fit for the intended purpose.

Attribution Statement

Other constraints: Contains Natural Resources Wales information © Natural Resources Wales and Database Right. All rights Reserved. Contains Ordnance Survey Data. Ordnance Survey Licence number AC0000849444. Crown Copyright and Database Right.

Licence

Other constraints: Open Government Licence

Metadata

File Identifier: 4f4c4942-4343-5764-6473-3938373736 XML

Metadata Language: English

Resource type: Dataset

Metadata Date: 2024-12-13T16:00:00.967Z

Metadata Standard Name: NRW

Metadata Standard Version: 1.0

pointOfContact

Natural Resources Wales (NRW)

Maes-y-Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2DW, Wales

http://naturalresources.wales/?lang=en

Publishing Body

Access the portal

Full access to the portal and metadata.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)

Identification

Temporal Extent

Extent

Extent

Vertical Extent

Distribution

Distribution

Quality

Data quality

Keywords

Keywords

Citation

Keywords

Citation

Keywords

Citation

Keywords

Citation

Spatial Reference System

Content

Content Information

NRW Profile

Custom Elements

Constraints

Constraints

Limitations on Public Access and Use

Access Constraints Directive

Access Constraints Text

Use Constraints

Attribution Statement

Licence

Metadata

Metadata

Publishing Body