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List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest on the Isle of Wight

 
Wikipedia: List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest on the Isle of Wight
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The Needles, part of Headon Warren And West High Down SSSI

This is a list of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) on the Isle of Wight, England. The Isle of Wight is an island and county three miles off the south coast of England in the English Channel. Its geology is complex, with a chalk downland ridge running east to west through its centre and important fossil beds from the Lower Cretaceous to the Lower Tertiary around the coast.[1] This geology gives rise to many distinct habitats, with strong maritime influences, including chalk grassland, neutral meadows, and broad-leaved woodland.[1] The Isle of Wight has a population of 140,000, making it one of the country's smaller counties in terms of population.[2]

In England, the body responsible for designating SSSIs is Natural England, which chooses a site because of its fauna, flora, geological or physiographical features.[3] 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. As of 2008, there are 41 sites designated in this Area of Search; of these, 26 have been designated for their biological interest, four for their geological interest, and 11 for both.[4]

The data in the table is taken from citation sheets for each SSSI, available at their website.[5]


Sites

Site name Reason for designation Area[A] Grid reference[B] Year in which notified Map[C]
Biological interest Geological interest Hectares Acres
Alverstone Marshes Check markY   83.8 207.0 SZ572859 1951 1
America Wood Check markY   21.4 52.9 SZ567820 1986 2
Arreton Down [D] Check markY   29.8 73.6 SZ540872 1979 3
Bembridge Down Check markY Check markY 56.3 139.0 SZ628856 1951 4
Bembridge School And Cliffs   Check markY 12.6 31.1 ST647869 1999 5
Bonchurch Landslips Check markY Check markY 28.2 69.7 SZ582785 1977 6
Bouldnor And Hamstead Cliffs Check markY Check markY 95.7 236.4 SZ390910 1951 7
Brading Marshes to St. Helen's Ledges Check markY Check markY 488.5 1207.0 SZ635883 1951[E] 8
Briddlesford Copses Check markY   167.2 413.2 SZ549904 2003 9
Calbourne Down Check markY   15.4 38.1 SZ429858 1989 10
Colwell Bay   Check markY 13.6 34.2 SZ323873 1959 11
Compton Chine to Steephill Cove Check markY Check markY 629.2 1554.8 SZ489763 2003 12
Compton Down Check markY Check markY 196.3 484.9 SZ365856 1951 13
Cranmore Check markY   12.4 30.7 SZ393901 2002 14
Cridmore Bog Check markY   14.4 35.6 SZ495815 1985 15
Eaglehead and Bloodstone Copses Check markY   10.3 25.5 SZ584877 1987 16
Freshwater Marshes Check markY   23.3 57.6 SZ344866 1951 17
Garston's Down Check markY   20.3 50.2 SZ475855 1971 18
Greatwood And Cliff Copses Check markY   16.3 40.3 SZ5680 - SZ5780 1986 19
Headon Warren And West High Down Check markY Check markY 276.3 682.6 SZ316852 1951 20
King's Quay Shore Check markY Check markY 97.2 240.1 SZ536935 1951 21
Lacey's Farm Quarry   Check markY 0.1 0.3 SZ323862 1993 22
Lake Allotments Check markY   0.2 0.5 SZ586838 1988 23
Locks Farm Meadow Check markY   2.3 5.7 SZ449908 1988 24
Medina Estuary Check markY   100.5 248.3 SZ508924 1977 25
Mottistone Down Check markY   31.4 77.6 SZ414846 1971 26
Newtown Harbour[F] Check markY   619.3 1530.3 SZ425915 1951 27
Northpark Copse Check markY   9.9 24.5 SZ435885 1986 28
Parkhurst Forest Check markY   183.5 453.3 SZ473915 1986 29
Priory Woods   Check markY 2.9 7.3 SZ635900 1998 30
Prospect Quarry Check markY Check markY 4.3 10.6 SZ385866 1971 31
Rew Down Check markY   23.5 58.1 SZ550775 1977 32
Rowridge Valley Check markY   39.8 98.3 SZ454864 1951 33
Ryde Sands and Wootton Creek Check markY   424.4 1048.7 SZ548920 - SZ634908 1993 34
Shide Quarry Check markY   4.8 11.8 SZ506881 1971 35
St Lawrence Bank Check markY   0.5 1.2 SZ536768 1998 36
The Wilderness Check markY   12.6 31.1 SZ505824 1951 37
Thorness Bay[G] Check markY Check markY 86.2 213.0 SZ455935 1966 38
Ventnor Downs Check markY   162.6 401.8 SZ575786 1951 39
Whitecliff Bay And Bembridge Ledges Check markY Check markY 131.6 325.2 SZ657872 1955 40
Yar Estuary Check markY   132.4 327.2 SZ353886 1977 41

Notes

A Data rounded to one decimal place.
B Grid reference is based on the British national grid reference system, also known as OSGB36, and is the system used by the Ordnance Survey.[6]
C Link to maps using the Nature on the Map service provided by English Nature.
D Arreton Down was originally notified as a geological SSSI, but was then renotified in 1987 for its biological interest only.[5]
E This site includes three former SSSIs known as St Helen’s Duver, Brading Marshes and St. Helen’s Ledges. They were notified in 1951, 1971 and 1977 respectively.[5]
F This also includes the former SSSI, Hart’s Farm Meadows which was designated in 1986.[5]
G This site was formerly known as Gurnard Ledge to Saltmead Ledge SSSI and was extended in 1987.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b "Isle of Wight Natural Area". Natural England. http://www.english-nature.org.uk/science/natural/NA_Details.asp?N=&R=6&NA_Id=76. Retrieved 2008-01-16. 
  2. ^ "Population Statistics". National Statistics. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=9666&More=Y. Retrieved 2008-01-16. 
  3. ^ "Notification of SSSIs". Natural England. http://www.english-nature.org.uk/special/sssi/notification.cfm. Retrieved 2006-08-01. 
  4. ^ "SSSIs on the Isle of Wight". Natural England. http://www.english-nature.org.uk/special/sssi/searchresults.cfm?sssi_name=&frmcounty=1251. Retrieved 2008-01-24. 
  5. ^ a b c d e Natural England citation sheets for each SSSI. Retrieved on 2006-07-07. (PDF files).
  6. ^ "Guide to National Grid". Ordnance Survey. http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/getamap/help.html#gridref. Retrieved 2006-08-07. 
v • d • e
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in the United Kingdom, grouped by Area of Search
England
Northern Ireland

Antrim · Ards · Armagh City & District · Ballymena · Ballymoney · Banbridge · Belfast City · Carrickfergus · Castlereagh · Coleraine · Cookstown · Craigavon · Derry City · Down · Dungannon & South Tyrone · Fermanagh · Larne · Limavady · Lisburn City · Magherafelt · Moyle · Newry & Mourne · Newtownabbey · North Down · Omagh · Strabane
Scotland

Angus and Dundee · Annandale and Eskdale · Badenoch and Strathspey · Banff and Buchan · Berwickshire and Roxburgh · Caithness · Clydesdale and South East Glasgow · Cumnock and Kyle · Dumbarton and North Glasgow · Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy · East Perth · East Ross and Cromarty · Edinburgh and West Lothian · Falkirk and Clackmannan · Gordon and Aberdeen · Inverness · Islay and Jura · Kincardine and Deeside · Kintyre · Lorne · Mid and East Lothian · Mid Argyll and Cowal · Moray and Nairn · Mull, Coll and Tiree · Nithsdale · North East Fife · North Lochaber · North West Sutherland · North Wester Ross and Cromarty · Orkney · Renfrew and Cunninghame · Rum and the Small Isles · Shetland · Skye and Lochalsh · South East Sutherland · South Lochaber · South Perth · South Wester Ross and Cromarty · Stirling · Tweeddale and Ettrick and Lauderdale · West Perth · Western Isles North · Western Isles South · Wigtown and Stewartry
Wales

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