National Wildlife Sites
Nationally important statutory sites are National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
National Nature Reserves (NNRs)
English Nature describe National Nature Reserves as: places where wildlife comes first. They were established to protect the most important areas of wildlife habitat and geological formations in Britain, and as places for scientific research. This does not mean they are "no-go areas" for people. It means that we must be careful not to damage the wildlife of these fragile places.
There are two National Nature reserves in Lancashire: Gait Barrows, a 69 ha. site near Lancaster containing important limestone habitats and Ribble Marshes, covering 4,520 ha. of intertidal and saltmarsh habitats at the mouth of the Ribble Estuary, it is of considerable ornithological value.
Information for people wishing to visit both of these reserves is available by searching the National Nature Reserves database at the English Nature web site.
(73kb PDF)
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)
Sites of Special Scientific Interest are the best examples of our natural heritage of wildlife habitats, geological features and landforms. They are notified by English Nature.
The nature conservation interest of SSSIs must be taken fully into account before development, or a change in management practice which would cause damage, is permitted. Development proposals which would damage SSSIs will normally be refused.
There are presently 68 SSSIs in Lancashire covering some 42,000 ha. Summary details of each site are provided below.
(108kb PDF)
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| SSSI Name | Area (ha.) in Lancashire | Grid Reference | Interest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artle Dale | 26.6 | SD545628 | Woodland |
| Barn Gill Meadow | 5.5 | SD620570 | Grassland |
| Beeston Brook Pasture | 1.9 | SD594278 | Grassland |
| Bell Sykes Meadows | 13.7 | SD718526 | Grassland |
| Bowland Fells | 16,001.4 | SD620570 | Moorland and birds |
| Burton Wood | 18.6 | SD543664 | Woodland |
| Calf Hill and Cragg Woods | 34.3 | SD543615 | Woodland |
| Charnock Richard Pasture | 1.2 | SD564154 | Grassland |
| Clear Beck Meadow | 0.5 | SD616676 | Grassland |
| Clitheroe Knoll Reefs | 117.2 | SD778435 | Geological |
| Cock Wood Gorge | 2.4 | SD746344 | Geological |
| Cockerham Marsh | 9.6 | SD446516 | Amphibian |
| Coldwell Farm Pasture | 0.8 | SD477781 | Grassland |
| Coplow Quarry | 5.2 | SD751432 | Geological |
| Crag Bank | 3.7 | SD489697 | Mire |
| Cringlebarrow and Deepdale | 50.7 | SD498753 | Woodland |
| Darwen River Section | 5.3 | SD613293 | Geological |
| Downholland Moss | 21.3 | SD324048 | Geological |
| Eaves Wood | 52.2 | SD466763 | Woodland |
| Far Holme Meadow | 1.7 | SD645655 | Grassland |
| Field Head Meadow | 3.3 | SD725524 | Grassland |
| Gait Barrows | 69.5 | SD481772 | Limestone habitats and Geological |
| Gale Clough and Shooterslee Wood | 9.3 | SD702141 | Woodland |
| Harper Clough & Smalley Delph | 3.0 | SD717317 | Geological |
| Hawes Water | 89.0 | SD478766 | Lake, mire, woodland, reedbed and limestone grassland |
| Heysham Moss | 12.2 | SD423607 | Lowland raised mire |
| Hodder River Section | 7.2 | SD701400 | Geological |
| Hodge Clough | 2.9 | SD785194 | Geological |
| Jack Scout | 6.5 | SD459737 | Limestone grassland and cliffs |
| Langcliff Cross Meadow | 5.3 | SD726517 | Grassland |
| Leck Beck Head Catchment Area | 425.5 | SD669797 | Limestone habitats and Geological |
| Lee Quarry | 49.0 | SD867209 | Geological |
| Leighton Moss | 130.7 | SD483749 | Birds |
| Light Clough | 0.5 | SD752376 | Geological |
| Little Mearley Clough | 5.9 | SD783412 | Geological |
| Longworth Clough | 24.6 | SD698148 | Woodland |
| Lower Red Lees Pasture | 4.2 | SD717178 | Grassland |
| Lune Estuary | 7,720.2 | SD395550 | Intertidal habitats and birds |
| Lytham Coastal Changes | 26.1 | SD381285 | Geological |
| Lytham St. Annes Dunes | 24.5 | SD310305 | Sand dunes |
| Martin Mere | 120.0 | SD420146 | Birds |
| Marton Mere | 39.2 | SD343354 | Lake and birds |
| Mere Sands Wood | 41.3 | SD447157 | Geological |
| Morecambe Bay | 5,332.8 | SD360700 | Intertidal habitats and birds |
| Myttons Meadows | 10.1 | SD703531 | Grassland |
| New Ing Meadow | 2.0 | SD788505 | Grassland |
| Newton Marsh | 66.1 | SD450292 | Birds |
| Oak Field | 21.1 | SD696153 | Groundwater seepages |
| Ravenhead Brickworks | 21.9 | SD513047 | Geological |
| Red Scar and Tun Brook Woods | 63.5 | SD590324 | Woodland |
| Ribble Estuary | 9,375.0 | SD375240 | Intertidal habitats and birds |
| Robert Hall Moor | 19.6 | SD632688 | Mire and groundwater seepages |
| Roeburndale Woods | 41.6 | SD609657 | Woodland |
| Rough Hey Wood | 6.1 | SD521429 | Birds |
| Salthill and Bellmanpark Quarry | 17.1 | SD759426 | Geological |
| Silverdale Golf Course | 0.7 | SD472755 | Limestone grassland |
| South Pennine Moors | 2,876.9 | SD920300 | Moorland, birds and Geological |
| Standridge Farm Pasture | 4.5 | SD733534 | Grassland |
| Tarnbrook Meadows | 11.0 | SD586556 | Grassland |
| Thrang End and Yealand Hall Allotment | 51.0 | SD490763 | Limestone pavement and grassland |
| Thrang Wood | 4.8 | SD484771 | Woodland |
| Trowbarrow Quarry | 7.0 | SD481759 | Geological |
| Warton Crag | 72.3 | SD449730 | Limestone habitats |
| White Coppice Flush | 0.5 | SD622197 | Groundwater seepages |
| White Moss | 10.1 | SD792546 | Basin mire |
| Winmarleigh Moss | 89.0 | SD447480 | Lowland raised mire |
| Wrightington Bar Pasture | 1.3 | SD583134 | Grassland |
| Wyre Estuary | 1,491.3 | SD350440 | Intertidal habitats and birds |