List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest on the Isle of Wight explained

This is a list of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) on the Isle of Wight, England. The Isle of Wight is an island and county three miles off the south coast of England in the English Channel. Its geology is complex, with a chalk downland ridge running east to west through its centre and important fossil beds from the Lower Cretaceous to the Lower Tertiary around the coast. This geology gives rise to many distinct habitats, with strong maritime influences, including chalk grassland, neutral meadows, and broad-leaved woodland.^[1] The Isle of Wight has a population of 140,000, making it one of the country's smaller counties in terms of population.^[2]

In England, the body responsible for designating SSSIs is Natural England, which chooses a site because of its fauna, flora, geological or physiographical features.^[3] Natural England took over the role of designating and managing SSSIs from English Nature in October 2006, when it was formed from the amalgamation of English Nature, parts of the Countryside Agency, and the Rural Development Service., there are 41 sites designated in this Area of Search; of these, 26 have been designated for their biological interest, 4 for their geological interest, and 11 for both.^[4]

The data in the table is taken from citation sheets for each SSSI, available at their website.^[5]

Sites

Site name	Reason for designation		Area		Grid reference	Year in which notified	Map
	Biological interest	Geological interest	Hectares	Acres
Alverstone Marshes			83.8	207.0		1951
America Wood			21.4	52.9		1986
			29.8	73.6		1979
Bembridge Down			56.3	139.0		1951
Bembridge School And Cliffs			12.6	31.1		1999
Bonchurch Landslips			28.2	69.7		1977
Bouldnor And Hamstead Cliffs			95.7	236.4		1951
Brading Marshes to St. Helen's Ledges			488.5	1,207.0		1951
Briddlesford Copses			167.2	413.2		2003
Calbourne Down			15.4	38.1		1989
Colwell Bay			13.6	34.2		1959
Compton Chine to Steephill Cove			629.2	1,554.8		2003
Compton Down			196.3	484.9		1951
Cranmore			12.4	30.7		2002
Cridmore Bog			14.4	35.6		1985
Eaglehead and Bloodstone Copses			10.3	25.5		1987
Freshwater Marshes			23.3	57.6		1951
Garston's Down			20.3	50.2		1971
Greatwood And Cliff Copses			16.3	40.3	–	1986
Headon Warren And West High Down			276.3	682.6		1951
King's Quay Shore			97.2	240.1		1951
Lacey's Farm Quarry			0.1	0.3		1993
Lake Allotments			0.2	0.5		1988
Locks Farm Meadow			2.3	5.7		1988
Medina Estuary			100.5	248.3		1977
Mottistone Down			31.4	77.6		1971
Newtown Harbour			619.3	1,530.3		1951
Northpark Copse			9.9	24.5		1986
Parkhurst Forest			183.5	453.3		1986
Priory Woods			2.9	7.3		1998
Prospect Quarry			4.3	10.6		1971
Rew Down			23.5	58.1		1977
Rowridge Valley			39.8	98.3		1951
Ryde Sands and Wootton Creek			424.4	1,048.7	–	1993
Shide Quarry			4.8	11.8		1971
St Lawrence Bank			0.5	1.2		1998
The Wilderness			12.6	31.1		1951
Thorness Bay			86.2	213.0		1966
Ventnor Downs			162.6	401.8		1951
Whitecliff Bay And Bembridge Ledges			131.6	325.2		1955
Yar Estuary			132.4	327.2		1977

Notes

Data rounded to one decimal place.

Grid reference is based on the British national grid reference system, also known as OSGB36, and is the system used by the Ordnance Survey.^[6]

Link to maps using the Nature on the Map service provided by English Nature.

Arreton Down was originally notified as a geological SSSI, but was then renotified in 1987 for its biological interest only.^[5]

This site includes three former SSSIs known as St Helen’s Duver, Brading Marshes and St. Helen’s Ledges. They were notified in 1951, 1971 and 1977 respectively.^[5]

This also includes the former SSSI, Hart’s Farm Meadows which was designated in 1986.^[5]

This site was formerly known as Gurnard Ledge to Saltmead Ledge SSSI and was extended in 1987.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Isle of Wight Natural Area . Natural England . 16 January 2008.
2. Web site: Population Statistics . National Statistics . https://web.archive.org/web/20090302122547/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=9666&More=Y . 2 March 2009 . 16 January 2008.
3. Web site: Notification of SSSIs . Natural England . 1 August 2006 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120515062100/http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/special/sssi/notification.cfm . 15 May 2012 .
4. Web site: SSSIs on the Isle of Wight . Natural England . 24 January 2008.
5. Natural England citation sheets for each SSSI (PDF files). Retrieved on 2006-07-07.

   Web site: Alverstone Marshes . Web site: America Wood . Web site: Arreton Down . Web site: Bembridge Down . Web site: Bembridge School And Cliffs . Web site: Bonchurch Landslips . Web site: Bouldnor And Hamstead Cliffs . Web site: Brading Marshes To St. Helen's Ledges . Web site: Briddlesford Copses . Web site: Calbourne Down . Web site: Colwell Bay . Web site: Compton Chine to Steephill Cove . Web site: Compton Down . Web site: Cranmore .

   Web site: Cridmore Bog . Web site: Eaglehead And Bloodstone Copses . Web site: Freshwater Marshes . Web site: Garston's Down . Web site: Greatwood And Cliff Copses . Web site: Headon Warren And West High Down . Web site: King's Quay Shore . Web site: Lacey's Farm Quarry . Web site: Lake Allotments . Web site: Locks Farm Meadow . 18 June 2011 . 6 June 2013 . https://www.webcitation.org/6HAEjtpoa?url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1001136.pdf . dead . Web site: Medina Estuary . Web site: Mottistone Down . 18 June 2011 . 6 June 2013 . https://www.webcitation.org/6HAEl3PIF?url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1000591.pdf . dead . Web site: Newtown Harbour . Web site: Northpark Copse .

   Web site: Parkhurst Forest . Web site: Priory Woods . Web site: Prospect Quarry . 18 June 2011 . 6 June 2013 . https://www.webcitation.org/6HAEo4yha?url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1000607.pdf . dead . Web site: Rew Down . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121024073847/http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1000623.pdf . 24 October 2012 . Web site: Rowridge Valley . Web site: Ryde Sands and Wootton Creek . Web site: Shide Quarry . Web site: St Lawrence Bank . Web site: The Wilderness . 18 June 2011 . 6 June 2013 . https://www.webcitation.org/6HAEryZm8?url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1000825.pdf . dead . Web site: Thorness Bay . Web site: Ventnor Downs . Web site: Whitecliff Bay And Bembridge Ledges . Web site: Yar Estuary .

6. Web site: Guide to National Grid . Ordnance Survey . 7 August 2006 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071027134518/http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/getamap/help.html#gridref . 27 October 2007 . dmy-all .