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.
One potential SSSI in Thurrock earmarked by Natural England as an important site for future protection has had a planning application approved on it and will now be built over.
The report by planning experts for the Wild Justice campaign group found that 14 potential SSSIs on Natural England’s waiting list, known as its “designations pipeline”, have received a planning application or decision for major development within 1km of the site. Of these, 12 have had the planning application approved.
Bob Elliot, the chief executive of Wild Justice, said: “While Natural England dithers and ‘reviews processes’, irreplaceable wildlife sites are being trashed, damaged, and even built over. That is not a technical failure, it’s a dereliction of duty.
“The idea that we can protect nature at a landscape scale while failing to designate the very best sites is absurd. You don’t save nature by leaving its most important places unprotected and hoping for the best.
“This must change immediately. The designation pipeline needs to be reopened, sites must be designated without further delay, and the government must stop starving the system of resources. Every day of inaction risks losing more of what little wildlife we have left and once it’s gone, it’s gone for good.”
Developers are usually required to mitigate harms if they develop next to an existing SSSI, and planning applications may be rejected because of proximity to one.
The report’s authors said they used the 1km calculation to reflect likely damage: “This is a very conservative estimate of harm, since many types of urban development inflict damage on ecology over a much wider radius.”
SSSIs were first created to protect wildlife in England in 1949. Designating new ones is part of Natural England’s formal duties, and a key part of the government’s legal commitment to protect 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030. According to the report, SSSIs currently protect just 7.1% of England – a lower level of protected land than any EU country.
In 2012, Natural England formally declared its intention to designate between 12 and 20 sites each year for two to three years, moving to deciding 50 cases each year.
In reality, it has decided on far fewer new protected sites, establishing just 33 new SSSIs in the past 14 years and none since 2023. No sites have been extended either. Since 2005, the total area of SSSIs has grown by just 2.8%.
Separately, the Guardian has seen a letter from Natural England in which it admits it is not adding any new potential SSSI sites to its “designations programme” and has “paused formal assessment of a number of sites”.
The watchdog said it was considering “new principles” to prioritise the notification of SSSIs and added: “Natural England is in the process of reviewing its limited resources to consider how they can most effectively be used to achieve and support the restoration of nature.”
One site earmarked for protection by Natural England at Thurrock will be destroyed by a new port development known as Tilbury 3, which was granted planning permission in February this year. This will destroy part of the “Ashfield A1” proposed SSSI and part of the West Tilbury Marshes local wildlife site, which Natural England describes as “the most important area for invertebrates across the North Thames area”. In 2024, Natural England indicated it had collected the data for its designation and a decision should be expected in 2025.
Amanda Craig, the director of resilient landscapes for Natural England, said: “Sites of special scientific interest are the foundation of England’s most precious habitats and species, and form the core from which wider nature recovery can spread. Natural England has a rolling programme to keep under review places that may merit and benefit from designation as SSSIs.”
On the Tilbury 3 site, Natural England is working with local partners to protect valuable wildlife and has collected evidence from wildlife surveys to guide how it will be protected.
The whole Thames estuary area was placed into Natural England’s SSSI designation pipeline in 2020 after the watchdog recognised the severity of the threat to unique wildlife found there. Of 198 sites of high or medium value for insects identified by Natural England and the charity Buglife in 2008, 100 had been lost to development or were under imminent threat from urbanisation just six years later.
The Wild Justice report, by Dr Kiera Chapman, Prof Malcolm Tait and Dr Rob Davies, found that 63% of potential SSSIs were at high risk from development. The academics analysed planning applications and decisions that signalled an intent to develop on potential SSSI sites or within a 1km radius of them – “a conservative estimate of harm,” according to the report, “since many types of urban development inflict damage on ecology over a much wider radius”.
The report also found that eight potential SSSI sites had a major development proposed in a local authority’s local plan within 1km, with six of those local plans approved and adopted.
Other sites, such as Bernwood Forest in Buckinghamshire, are threatened by more amorphous future developments such as proposals for “Calvert city” beside HS2 and East West Rail lines.
Some potential SSSI sites such as Filey Brigg to Scarborough South Bay and Flamborough Head, have languished on Natural England’s “designations pipeline” list since it was first published 10 years ago, with no decision made.
In a 2,000-word strategy for recovering nature published last year, Natural England did not once mention SSSIs.
