__NOTOC__ This is a list of the

Sites of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

(SSSIs) in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, ...

, the designating body for SSSIs in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, uses the 1974-1996 county system, and this list follows the same approach. Some sites you may expect to find here could therefore be in the Avon list. It may also be that a site may on the borders of more than one county. It may also be on the country borders.

chooses a site because of its

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is ''funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as ''Biota (ecology ...

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...

geological Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other E ...

or physiographical features. As of 2012, there are 121 sites designated in this

Area of Search The following is a list of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by area of search, in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are areas of conservation, consisting of protected areas, recognised for their biological or geological significance. In Northe ...

, of which 69 have been designated due to their biological interest, 32 due to their geological interest, and 20 for both. Gloucestershire has 3

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is an area of countryside in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Areas are designated in recognition of thei ...

being the Cotswolds,

Malvern Hills The Malvern Hills are in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern. The highest summit aff ...

, and the

Wye Valley The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; cy, Dyffryn Gwy) is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. The River Wye ( cy, Afon Gwy) is the fourth-longest river in th ...

(the latter is also partly in Wales). These areas may include several SSSIs, or be named an SSSI as is the case for the Malvern Hills. Gloucestershire has 2 designated Ramsar sites being the

Severn Estuary The Severn Estuary ( cy, Aber Hafren) is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England and South Wales. Its high tidal range, approximately , means that it has been at the centre of discussions in t ...

and Walmore Common both SSSIs. These two sites are also designated as

Special Protection Area A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certa ...

s (SPA) under the EC Directive on the conservation of Wild Birds. Gloucestershire has 7 recognised

Special Areas of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

(SAC), several of which bring together more than one SSSI. These are: Cotswold Beechwoods; Dixton Wood; River Wye/ Afon Gwy;

Rodborough Common Rodborough Common is a biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire, notified in 1954. The site is listed in the ‘Stroud District’ Local Plan, adopted November 2005, Appendix 6 (online for download) as ...

;

; Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Bat Sites/ Safleoedd Ystlumod Dyffryn Gwy a Fforest y Ddena; Wye Valley Woodlands/ Coetiroedd Dyffryn Gwy. Highbury Wood SSSI and the Cotswold Commons and Beechwoods SSSI are national nature reserves (NNR).

Lady Park Wood Lady Park Wood National Nature Reserve () is a nature reserve straddling the borders of Gloucestershire in England and Monmouthshire in Wales. Most of the wood is in Wales – where it forms Wales' easternmost point – but it is managed under ...

(part of the wood is in Gloucestershire and part in Monmouthshire) is a national nature reserve. A significant number of the SSSIs are recognised by the relevant local authorities as Key Wildlife Sites and Regionally Important Geological/Geomorphological Sites. There are c. 800 recognised Key Wildlife Sites in Gloucestershire. For other counties, see List of SSSIs by Area of Search.

Sites

Notes

:Data rounded to one decimal place. :Grid reference is based on the British national grid reference system, also known as

OSGB36 The Ordnance Survey National Grid reference system (OSGB) (also known as British National Grid (BNG)) is a system of geographic grid references used in Great Britain, distinct from latitude and longitude. The Ordnance Survey (OS) devised the ...

, and is the system used by the

Ordnance Survey Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. There was a ...

. :Link to maps using the ''Nature on the Map'' service provided by ''Natural England''.

References

''Natural England'' citation sheets for each SSSI. Retrieved on 18 June 2011 and 10 August 2012
Alderton Hill Quarry

Ashleworth Ham

Astridge Wood

Badgeworth

Barnsley Warren

Barton Bushes

Bigsweir Woods

Blaisdon Hall

Bourton Down

Box Farm Meadows

Boxwell

Brassey Reserve And Windrush Valley

Brooks Head Grove

Buckshraft Mine & Bradley Hill Railway Tunnel

Bull Cross, The Frith And Juniper Hill

Bushley Muzzard, Brimpsfield

Caerwood And Ashberry Goose House

Campden Tunnel Gravel Pit

Chaceley Meadow

Clarke's Pool Meadow

Cleeve Common

Coaley Wood Quarries

Cockleford Marsh

Collinpark Wood

Coombe Hill

Coombe Hill Canal

Cotswold Commons And Beechwoods

Cotswold Water Park

Crickley Hill And Barrow Wake

Daneway Banks

Dean Hall Coach House & Cellar

Devil's Chapel Scowles

Dingle Wood

Dixton Wood

Dymock Woods

Easter Park Farm Quarry

Edge Common

Edgehills Quarry

Elmlea Meadows

Foss Cross Quarry

Frampton Pools

Garden Cliff

Hampen Railway Cutting

Haresfield Beacon

Harford Railway Cutting

Highbury Wood

Hobb's Quarry, Longhope

Hornsleasow Quarry

Hornsleasow Roughs

Hucclecote Meadows

Huntsman's Quarry

Innsworth Meadow

Jackdaw Quarry

Juniper Hill, Edgeworth

Kemble Railway Cuttings

Kempley Daffodil Meadow

Kingscote And Horsley Woods

Knap House Quarry, Birdlip

Land Grove Quarry, Mitcheldean

Lark Wood

Leckhampton Hill And Charlton Kings Common

Lineover Wood

Longhope Hill

Lower Wye Gorge

Lydney Cliff

May Hill

Meezy Hurst

Minchinhampton Common

Nagshead

New Park Quarry

Nibley Knoll

Notgrove Railway Cutting

Oakenhill Railway Cutting

Old Bow And Old Ham Mines

Old River Severn, Upper Lode

Pennsylvania Fields, Sedbury

Poor's Allotment

Puckham Woods

Puddlebrook Quarry

Purton Passage

Range Farm Fields

River Wye

Robin's Wood Hill Quarry

Rodborough Common

Rough Bank, Miserden

Salmonsbury Meadows

Scully Grove Quarry

Selsley Common

Severn Estuary

Severn Ham, Tewkesbury

Shorn Cliff And Caswell Woods

Slade Brook

Soudley Ponds

Speech House Oaks

Stenders Quarry

Stinchcombe Hill

Stony Furlong Railway Cutting

Strawberry Banks

Swanpool Wood And Furnace Grove

Swift's Hill

Sylvan House Barn

The Hudnalls

The Malvern Hills

Tudor Farm Bank

Turvey's Piece

Upham Meadow And Summer Leasow

Upper Severn Estuary

Upper Wye Gorge

Veizey's Quarry

Wainlode Cliff

Walmore Common

Wellacre Quarry

Westbury Brook Ironstone Mine

Whelford Meadow

Wigpool Ironstone Mine

Wildmoorway Meadows

Winson Meadows

Wood Green Quarry & Railway Cutting

Woodchester Park

Wotton Hill

Yarley Meadows
{{SSSI AOS lists

Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Gloucestershire Site most often refers to: * Archaeological site * Campsite, a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area * Construction site * Location, a point or an area on the Earth's surface or elsewhere * Website, a set of related web pages, typically ...

Sites

Sites

See also

Notes

References