State of wildlife sites improving

Shorelines are among the sites in target condition (Image: Peter Wakely/English Nature)

Efforts to improve the condition of England's most important wildlife and geological sites appear to be paying off, a new report shows.

English Nature says 69.8% of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are either in a healthy or "recovering" condition, up from 58.3% in 2003.

But the study by the conservation watchdog warns that 10% of SSSIs have deteriorated over the past three years.

Ministers have set a target for 95% of SSSIs to be in a healthy state by 2010.

England's 4,118 SSSIs are legally protected areas that are considered to be the nation's best examples of wildlife and geological habitats. The system of identifying sites of special interest dates back to 1949.

The latest assessment, published on Tuesday, said that nearly 750,000 hectares in the specially designated areas were being properly cared for, with almost all sites on arable land being in a "favourable condition".

Dr Andy Brown, chief executive of English Nature, described the findings as a "great achievement".

"Back in 2003 we believed that we were the first organisation in the world to have such a detailed assessment of protected wildlife sites but we did not stop there," he said.

"We discovered that there are 42 separate factors influencing SSSI condition and we now know what needs to be done to make, and keep every [site] healthy."

The factors include: working closely with farmers and land managers; agri-environmental schemes that do not harm the sites and increased funding from the EU and UK government for such schemes.

'Daunting challenge'

But the report is not all good news. It also shows the state of almost 11% of SSSIs is deteriorating. Around 75% of sites on rivers and streams are not within the target condition.

'CONDITION' CLASSIFCATIONS 'Favourable' - habitat and species in healthy state 'Recovering' - measures in place to address problems 'Declining' - habitat not being adequately conserved 'Destroyed' - fundamental damage; site permanently lost

The government, under its Public Service Agreement (PSA) framework, has set the target of 95% of England's SSSIs to be in a "favourable" or "recovering" condition by 2010.

The National Trust, which has around 6% of the sites on its land, described the target as a challenge.

"We are making great progress, especially in the lowlands, where about 90% of our sites are in [target] condition," said David Bullock, the Trust's head of nature conservation.

"The most daunting challenge is in the upland areas, particularly on common land, where we are dealing with a legacy of overgrazing, burning and air pollution."

Mr Bullock's comments are echoed in the report, which lists overgrazing, moor burning and poor drainage as the top three causes for areas failing to reach the target standards.

New agency

Responsibility for the conservation and protection of England's SSSIs will switch to a newly-formed agency later in the year.

Natural England will come into existence in October, subject to parliamentary approval.

It will be the result of the merging of English Nature, the Rural Development Service, and the Countryside Agency's Landscape, Access and Recreation division.

A spokeswoman for English Nature said the transition should not affect the focus on meeting the government's target.

"From October, the responsibility for championing delivery of the target passes to Natural England," she told the BBC News website.

"As part of a broader biodiversity and landscape remit, the 2010 target will remain a core focus, and Natural England will be ready to take up the challenge and build on the excellent work to date."