Press Release - Natural England’s Role in Improving
Sites of Special Scientific Interest
21 November 2008
Increased spending has been accompanied by an
improvement in the condition of England’s Sites of Special
Scientific Interest (SSSIs), according to a report released today
by the National Audit Office. The assessment of the condition
of SSSIs, however, has fallen behind and there is a risk that
Natural England is not detecting all sites that are in decline or
those where recovery is complete.
In 2000, the government set a target of
getting 95 per cent of all SSSI land in England into a healthy or
improving condition by 2010. In 2002 around 52 per cent of SSSI
land was in target condition. Since then, the reported condition of
SSSIs has improved and by March 2008, 83 per cent of the land area
of SSSIs covering 888,706 hectares was in target condition. 45 per
cent was in a healthy condition. A further 38 per cent was
improving in condition, though it may take some years to reach a
healthy condition.
Nearly £400 million of public money has been
spent on improving the condition of SSSIs since 2000, equivalent to
about £50 per hectare per year. During this period Natural England
has identified the condition of all SSSIs and the actions needed to
bring them into a healthy condition. Defra and Natural England have
worked with major landowners and occupiers to improve the condition
of SSSI land.
This expenditure and the progress made needs
to be supported by improving the administrative and oversight
functions of Natural England. All SSSIs are supposed to be subject
to assessments every six years, but Natural England is behind with
the task. About 25 per cent of units have not been assessed within
the required six year period. Around a third of sites do not have
conservation objectives in place which describe the conservation
needed and allow changes in condition to be judged.
Natural England is responsible for ensuring
that landowners manage SSSI land in a way that conserves it.
Where Natural England makes payments to encourage landowners to
care for their land, it should record more consistently that it
carries out effective checks to ensure that public money is being
spent well. Where landowners fail to manage land appropriately,
Natural England has the power to use the court system to enforce
compliance, but has not yet used this power.
Tim Burr, head of the National Audit
Office, said today:
“Extra resources have gone into Sites
of Special Scientific Interest – a key part of the natural
environment in England - and results are starting to show. But many
will take time to regenerate fully, so a sustained management
effort and clear conservation objectives will be needed for
long-term success.”
Notes for Editors
- There are 4,114 sites in England designated
as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. They receive this legal
protection due to habitats, plants, animals or geology which
represent the best examples of natural features in England. There
are over a million hectares of land within SSSIs (over eight per
cent of England’s total land area) 29 per cent of which is owned by
individuals, the rest is owned by local or central government,
private companies and non-governmental organizations.
- In addition to protecting species and
habitats, SSSIs can contribute to reducing the effects of climate
change, for example, blanket bogs act as carbon stores and play a
role in absorbing carbon emitted into the atmosphere and limiting
the effects of global warming.
- Natural England is a non-departmental public
body charged with the protection of England’s natural features and
heritage. It was formed in October 2006 and is a merger of part of
the Countryside Agency, English Nature and the Rural Development
Service.
- Press notices and reports are available from
the date of publication on the NAO website, which is at
www.nao.org.uk. Hard copies can be obtained
from The Stationery Office on 0845 702 3474.
- The Comptroller and Auditor General, Tim Burr, is the head of
the National Audit Office which employs some 850 staff. He
and the NAO are totally independent of Government. He
certifies the accounts of all Government departments and a wide
range of other public sector bodies; and he has statutory authority
to report to Parliament on the economy, efficiency and
effectiveness with which departments and other bodies have used
their resources.
Press Notice 52/08
All enquiries to Phil Groves,
NAO Press Office: Tel: 020 7798 5339
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