There are a large number of statutory and non-statutory conservation sites in Birmingham and the Black Country that are designated/ identified for their nature conservation and/or geological importance.
These include sites that are important on a European Scale (Special Areas of Conservation or SACs) as well as sites that are important on a national scale (Sites of Special Scientific Interest or SSSIs). These are statutory sites, as the important features of these sites are protected by law from development and other damage.
In addition to the above statutory sites, Birmingham and the Black Country contains a number of Local Nature Reserves (LNRs). They are places with wildlife or geological features that are of special interest locally. Often LNRs also have good public access thus providing people with the opportunity to enjoy and experience the local wildlife [1]
Like SACs and SSSIs, LNRs are statutory sites and as such, are given protection against damaging operations and also certain protection against development on and around them.
Birmingham and the Black Country also contains a large number of sites of substantive nature conservation value, that do not have any statutory status, but are recognised in the planning system.
Nationally there are a number of different terms in use to describe sites of local importance. In Birmingham and the Black Country the titles ‘Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation’ (SINCs) and ‘Sites of Local Importance for Nature Conservation’ (SLINCs) are used. These include sites of geological importance.
SINCs and SLINCs are identified through a process of site survey, and then, using the information gathered, evaluation against the Local Sites criteria. For more information about local sites, visit DEFRA's Local Sites page.
Due to the dynamic characteristics of the landscape, sites may loose or gain ecological interest. This means that there may be sites of importance that we may not yet know about.
[1] Natural England (2009) Local Nature Reserves. From http://www.lnr.naturalengland.org.uk/special/lnr/office.htm [accessed 08/05/2009]
