January 2022 Nature and Wildlife Walks in Cornwall

Cornwall is a very special place, has a very rich and diverse flora and fauna. In Cornwall, there are 12 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, 167 Sites of Special Scientific Interest and 17 Special Areas of Conservation.

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
AONB is an area of countryside in the UK that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of their national importance by Natural England. Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty enjoy levels of protection from development similar to those of UK national parks. The Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers 958 square kilometres (370 sq mi) in Cornwall; that is, about 27% of the total area of the country.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the UK. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in the UK are based upon them.

There are 167 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly). 81 have been designated due to their biological interest, 54 due to their geological interest and 32 for both.

In England the body responsible for designating SSSIs is Natural England, which chooses a site "because of its flora, fauna, or geological or physiographical features".

Special Areas of Conservation
Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) are protected areas in the UK designated under:
• the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017
• the Conservation (Natural Habitats &c.) Regulations 1994
• the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c) Regulations 1995
• the Conservation of Offshore Marine Habitats and Species Regulations 2017