Mapping the Areas of Particular Importance for Biodiversity

Areas of particular importance for biodiversity are defined by the Local Nature Recovery Strategy statutory guidance as:

• national conservation sites: National Nature Reserve (NNR), Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Protection Areas (SPA), Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), Marine Conservation Zones (MCZ), Ramsar
• Local Nature Reserves
• Local Wildlife Sites
• areas of irreplaceable habitat – for the purposes of the Strategy mapping, areas of irreplaceable habitat were defined as those included in the biodiversity net gain irreplaceable habitats list: ancient woodland, ancient and veteran trees, blanket bog, limestone pavements, coastal sand dunes, spartina saltmarsh swards, Mediterranean saltmarsh scrub, lowland fens

Mapping of these areas was based on nationally and locally held data sets of the component parts.