By Marian Spain, CEO of Natural England
In this blog, Marian Spain reflects on Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) as a golden thread through her time as Chief Executive of Natural England. Highlighting Dearne Valley Wetlands, West Penwith Moors and Downs, and Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast, Marian shows how SSSIs have evolved from academic curiosities into the backbone of nature recovery, and argues that successful designation depends on partnership, communication and trust with the landowners and communities who care for these special places.
As I prepare to leave Natural England after 8 years as Chief Executive, I have been reflecting on the themes that have run consistently through my career in nature conservation.
One of those is protecting our most special places and most precious wildlife and geology, including by designating Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). One of the first things I did when I became CEO was designate the Down Farm SSSI and I’m delighted then that one of the last things I have done is agree a new programme of sites being considered for designation in the next 3 years, together with a new approach to working with our stakeholders as we consider these. We’ll be publishing that on GOV.UK very soon.
SSSIs are among the most powerful tools we have to recognise and protect the very best of England's wildlife, habitats and geology, and we don’t undertake them lightly: they have a big impact (including sometimes restricting what a landowner can and can’t do) and need a very high level of scientific and legal proof to merit such significant protection. Currently we have 4,128, making up 8% of England’s land area.
They celebrate places that are nationally important for nature, while helping to secure the benefits that healthy natural systems provide to society. They protect some of our most precious species and habitats and geology as the very best of a wide range of landscapes and seascapes in cities, countryside and the coast. And they also help deliver cleaner rivers, healthier soils, carbon storage, flood resilience and opportunities for people to experience nature close to home.
SSSIs are and have always been about much more than just designation to protect wildlife and habitats. They represent our nation’s commitment to recognising what is special, understanding why it matters, and ensuring it can thrive for future generations.
Historically, they were often viewed primarily as representative examples for academic study. Increasingly, we now recognise them as the foundations of nature recovery. They are the places where our most valuable wildlife and habitats persist and they are also the places from which nature can recover and spread across wider landscapes. They are the backbone of nature recovery, the reservoirs of biodiversity that help reconnect fragmented habitats and support thriving ecosystems for the future.
Natural England is now taking a renewed approach to SSSI designation. We have strengthened the way we make decisions, improved planning and prioritisation, reconsidered the tasks and the resources to carry out designation projects, including spending enough time with those affected and those who will benefit to explain what will happen and why. That means we have also developed a more certain and more strategic programme for future designations. We are prioritising sites based on their contribution to nature recovery, the protection of vulnerable habitats and species, and the wider benefits they provide for society, with a programme phased to bring forward those which are closest to being able to be delivered, allowing us to focus on embedding our new ways of working.
During my time as Chief Executive, I have been proud to see important places be designated to protect and conserve the wildlife and habitats that call these places home.
In South Yorkshire, the notification of Dearne Valley Wetlands as a new SSSI, recognised a remarkable landscape where nature has flourished alongside the legacy of industrial change. Its nationally important bird populations and wetland habitats demonstrate how nature recovery can transform places, delivering benefits not only for wildlife but also for local communities through access to nature and flood resilience.
In Cornwall, the confirmation of West Penwith Moors and Downs as a SSSI protected more than 3,000 hectares of nationally important habitats and species. The designation recognised not only the extraordinary wildlife of the area but also the centuries of farming and land management that helped shape its distinctive character.
During my time at Natural England, the importance of protecting the wildlife and geology interest of Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast SSSI has also become a powerful example of how we must navigate the relationship between nature recovery and development. Its story illustrates one of the defining challenges of how we recover nature while also meeting society's need for homes, infrastructure and economic growth.
Too often these objectives are presented as opposing choices. England needs new homes, new infrastructure and new investment. But we also need thriving wildlife, resilient ecosystems and access to nature. The challenge is not whether we choose nature or development, but how we plan, design and invest so that both can succeed, sites such as Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast, reinforce the importance of identifying opportunities where sustainable development can proceed while contributing positively to nature recovery. SSSIs don’t stop economic activity happening – be that farming, development or natural resource use, but they make sure that for these very special places nature is given a “seat at the table” when decisions are made about land use.
One of the most important lessons I have learned throughout my career is that nature recovery is not something that can be delivered to people. It is something that must be achieved with people.
The success of any SSSI ultimately depends on the people who own, manage and care for the land. Farmers, commoners, landowners, conservation organisations and local communities are not simply stakeholders in these places; they are central to their future.
That is why I am particularly pleased that Natural England's renewed approach to SSSI designation places such emphasis on partnership, communication and engagement. Alongside strengthening our internal processes, we have recognised the importance of working more closely with landowners and local communities from the outset, ensuring that people understand both the reasons for designation and the opportunities that can follow from it, as well as whether it will mean any limits on how land is managed in the future. We want designation to be something that is developed with people, and that landowners can be proud of, not something that feels as though it is being done to them.
Sometimes designation discussions can create uncertainty and concern. People understandably want to know what designation means for their businesses, their communities and the places they care about. We have learned that clear communication, transparency and early engagement are essential. Listening to concerns, explaining the evidence, and working through challenges together leads to better outcomes for everyone.
Recent experience has highlighted both the strength of feeling people have for the landscapes they manage and the importance of maintaining an open and constructive dialogue throughout the designation process. Those experiences have helped shape our future approach, placing greater emphasis on communication, stakeholder engagement and long-term relationships with those who manage these special places. The most effective conservation does not happen when change is perceived as something being imposed. It happens when people share an understanding of what makes a place special, why it matters, and how protecting and enhancing it can benefit both nature and society.
That is what Natural England is committed to do, in our mission of building partnerships for nature’s recovery. And as our strategy says, recovering nature - including by making sure wildlife is thriving in protected sites - in ways that support growth, health and security.
Natural England CEO, Marian Spain. Credit: Natural England.https://naturalengland.blog.gov.uk/2026/09/29/sssis-a-golden-thread-through-my-career/
seen at 11:40, 29 September in Natural England.