| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 | |
| Location | Kent |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | TR 001 665[1] |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 6,509.4 hectares (16,085 acres)[1] |
| Notification | 1990[1] |
| Location map | Magic Map |
| Designations | |
|---|---|
| Official name | The Swale |
| Designated | 17 July 1985 |
| Reference no. | 299[2] |
The Swale is a tidal channel of the Thames estuary that separates the Isle of Sheppey from the rest of Kent. On its banks is a 6,509.4-hectare (16,085-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest which stretches from Sittingbourne to Whitstable in Kent.[1][3] It is also a Ramsar internationally important wetland site[4] and a Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds.[5] Parts of it are a Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I,[6] National Nature Reserves,[7][8][9] a Kent Wildlife Trust nature reserve[10] and a Local Nature Reserve.[11]
- ^ a b c d "Designated Sites View: The Swale". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
- ^ "The Swale". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ "Map of The Swale". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
- ^ "Designated Sites View: The Swale". Ramsar Site. Natural England. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Designated Sites View: The Swale". Special Protection Area. Natural England. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ Ratcliffe, Derek, ed. (1977). A Nature Conservation Review. Vol. 2. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 4. ISBN 0521-21403-3.
- ^ "Kent's National Nature Reserves". Natural England. 2 August 2014. Archived from the original on 24 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- ^ "Designated Sites View: The Swale". National Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Designated Sites View: Elmley". National Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- ^ "Oare Marshes". Kent Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Designated Sites View: South Bank of the Swale". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 22 January 2018.