England wildlife watchdog ‘has stopped designating special sites for protection’
Exclusive: Report finds Natural England has created no new SSSIs, which protect areas from development, since 2023The government’s wildlife watchdog for England is failing to save nature because it has stopped giving protection to rare wildlife and habitats, according to…
By · April 21, 2026 · 1 min read
This article was originally published by
The Guardian World
and is republished here under license.
Exclusive: Report finds Natural England has created no new SSSIs, which protect areas from development, since 2023
The government’s wildlife watchdog for England is failing to save nature because it has stopped giving protection to rare wildlife and habitats, according to a new report.
No new sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) have been designated by Natural England since 2023. SSSIs are nationally or internationally important places for rare wildlife and habitats. Without the designation, endangered species can be at risk of being lost to development.
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