East Midlands Nature Sites get Special EU Protection

10.17.28am GMT Wed 15th Dec 2004

The European Commission has designated more than 600 locations across Britain as European Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in a bid to protect the best examples of plant and animal life across the continent. These include many well known East Midlands sites: in Lincolnshire, Baston Fen, Grimsthorpe, The Wash, Theddlethorpe Dunes and Gibraltar Point, Throne Moor and Hatfield Moor; in Leicestershire, the River Mease; in Derbyshire the Peak District Dales, the Bee's Nest and Green Clay Pits, Gang Mine and the South Pennine Moors; and in Nottinghamshire Birklands and Bilhaugh.

The 236 sites across England were originally identified by English Nature and total more than 1.5 million hectares of land. They include a hugely diverse number of land and marine habitats stretching from the far north of Scotland to the Scilly Isles, and ranging from Richmond Park in London to the whole of Morecambe Bay in the North West.

Amongst the natural wonders that the designation is intended to protect are stag beetles, Ram's horn snails and fisher's estuarine moths, habitats including salt meadows and bogs, and rare plants such as the Lady's Slipper Orchid.

The announcement implements the much-delayed 1992 Habitats Directive, widely regarded as the EU's most important nature conservation law. It requires governments across Europe to ensure that human activities do not threaten the survival of habitats or species in SACs unless there are reasons of "overriding public interest" for doing so. Failure to meet this obligation could result in member states being taken to the European Court of Justice.

In total some 205 habitat types and 286 animal and plant species across Europe have been identified as requiring special protection to ensure their survival for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations.

In Britain all the locations have already been declared Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), making it a criminal offence to carry out damaging works such as road building, tree clearance or pond drainage without the consent of English Nature.

Bill Newton Dunn, Lib Dem MEP for the East Midlands, said the announcement was a landmark in EU nature conservation that would help ensure the survival of hundreds of unique species across Europe.

He said: "Originally the UK Government proposed to nominate only 200 sites, but they were told firmly by the botanists and biologists working for the European Commission that the plan would not be sufficient to guarantee the survival of endangered species throughout the country. The announcement of a much extended list is great news.

"It's too easy for governments to talk fine words about nature protection but to do nothing in practice to curb activities that may threaten it. Now whether it is an area in Spain, France or Britain, environmentalists can point to the special European importance of these sites and turn to the courts to defend them."

Notes to editors:

A full list of UK SAC sites and their qualifying features can be found at: http://www.jncc.gov.uk/ProtectedSites/SACselection/SAC_list.asp

The European Commission announced the designation no 8 December 2004.