§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many sites of special scientific interest have been designated each year since the inception of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; and how many he estimates will be created in the next 12 months.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 provides for both renotification of sites of special scientific interest originally notified under the National Park and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 and notification of new SSSIs. The number of such sites are:
Financial year Number of new SSSIs notified in the year Renotifications To 31 March 1989 3,187 New notifications 1981–82 0 1982–83 35 1983–84 183 1984–85 268 1985–86 358 1986–87 261 1987–88 274 1988–89 282 In addition the Nature Conservancy Council expects to renotify 135 sites and notify a further 250 sites in the current financial year.
§ Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of the total number of sites of special scientific interest have been(a) destroyed and (b) damaged since the inception of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyNo information is available prior to 1 April 1984. I am informed by the Nature Conservancy Council that since then the numbers of SSSIs which have sustained damage are as follows:
Number Per cent. 1984–85 192 6.77 1985–86 151 4.84 1986–87 205 6.86 1987–88 139 4.36 This includes damage of all kinds, whether significant or not, and to both those SSSIs notified under the 1981 Act and those notified under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 and not yet renotified. The number of SSSIs suffering significant damage averaged about 1 per cent. over the period.
Over this period three SSSIs were destroyed, two in 1984–85 and one in 1985–86.
Full information is provided in the NCC's annual reports copies of which are in the Library.