England's natural jewels in need

By Alex Kirby
BBC News Online environment correspondent

The sites shelter unique wildlife or other rare features

Scarcely more than half of the most important conservation land and waters in England are in a good condition.

A survey by the independent wildlife advisers to the government, English Nature, found more than two-fifths of the sites to be in need of improvement.

The areas, protected for their wildlife or geological value, are known as sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs).

They are the jewels in the crown of the English nature conservation world, but many continue to undergo severe damage.

A report by English Nature says 58% of SSSIs by area are in good condition, while 42% need improvement.

Exhaustive study

It found that 44% were in a "favourable" state, with another 14% "unfavourable but recovering". "Unfavourable with no change" described another 25% of sites, while 16% were "unfavourable and declining".

Find out more about the state of England's natural sites of scientific interest

In pictures

The report, England's Best Wildlife And Geological Sites: The Condition Of SSSIs In England In 2003, is the fruit of the first complete national assessment of SSSI condition.

Over the last six years English Nature staff have assessed the condition of every site at least once. The organisation says it is the first time a full national assessment of this kind has been undertaken anywhere in the world.

It says: "SSSIs represent the very best of the rich variety and abundance of wildlife and geology that makes England's nature special and distinct from any other country in the world.

"They can be small areas that protect populations of a single species, or large expanses of upland moorland or coastal mudflats and marshes.

Rivers should be wildlife havens

"The smallest is a roof space in a private building in Gloucestershire used as a roost by lesser horseshoe bats, while the biggest covers a vast 62,000 hectares (153,000 acres) of mudflats and marshes in the Wash."

There are 4,112 English SSSIs, covering 1,050,708 ha (2,596,000 acres), about 7% of England.

English Nature's chief executive, Dr Andy Brown, said: "The government has made a commitment to ensure 95% of all SSSIs are in favourable condition by 2010.

"Meeting this challenge will be a huge effort for everyone. We must recognise that improving and maintaining England's natural assets needs ongoing investment, alongside changes to legislation and the reform of environmentally-damaging policies."

Too many mouths

English Nature says SSSIs are important in several ways: increasing our understanding of wildlife, contributing to tourism, recreation and food production, and sustaining natural processes vital to air, soils and climate.

The report identifies a number of threats to the sites, chiefly overgrazing, inappropriate moorland burning and coastal management, and problems with freshwater quality and quantity.

It says it is essential to reduce the numbers of sheep that are causing overgrazing in the uplands, while deer are a problem in forests and need to be controlled.

Aliens like the signal crayfish are a problem

English Nature says one of the most severe problems is diffuse pollution (pollutants which originate from a variety of sources rather than one easily-identified one).

Dr Brown said: "This survey reinforces recent research from which we have already identified 105 wetland SSSIs affected by or at risk from diffuse agricultural pollution. They are now a priority for urgent action."

English Nature says diffuse pollution is a threat to a wide range of habitats, including rivers, lakes, bogs, fens and coastal areas.

It says: "It is not only sites suffering from heavy enrichment that cause concern - habitats that naturally have low levels of dissolved nutrients, such as upland rivers and lakes and many mire habitats, are highly sensitive to relatively low-level diffuse agricultural pollution.

"A proactive, well-resourced government action plan for dealing with it is desperately needed."

Images courtesy of English Nature.