List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Kent

This article is about SSSIs in Kent. For other counties, see List of SSSIs by Area of Search.

River Beult
The River Beult north-east of Paddock Wood

Kent is a county in the south-eastern corner of England. It is bounded to the north by Greater London and the Thames Estuary, to the west by Sussex and Surrey, and to the south and east by the English Channel and the North Sea. The county town is Maidstone.[1] It is governed by Kent County Council, with twelve district councils, Ashford, Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Folkestone and Hythe, Gravesham, Maidstone, Thanet, Tonbridge and Malling and Tunbridge Wells. Medway is a separate unitary authority.[2][3] The chalk hills of the North Downs run from east to west through the county, with the wooded Weald to the south. The coastline is alternately flat and cliff-lined.[1]

In England, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are designated by Natural England, which is responsible for protecting England's natural environment. Designation as an SSSI gives legal protection to the most important wildlife and geological sites.[4] As of May 2018, there are 98 sites designated in Kent.[5] There are 21 sites which have been designated for their geological interest, 67 for their biological interest, and 10 for both reasons.

Sixteen sites are Special Areas of Conservation, eight are Special Protection Areas, twenty-three are Nature Conservation Review sites, thirty-three are Geological Conservation Review sites, eleven are national nature reserves, nine are Ramsar internationally important wetland sites, eleven are local nature reserves, thirteen are in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, one is on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England and two contain scheduled monuments. Seventeen sites are managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust, four by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and seven by the National Trust.

  1. ^ a b "Kent". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 22 April 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  2. ^ "District councils". Kent County Council. Archived from the original on 27 October 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  3. ^ "Council and democracy". Kent County Council. Archived from the original on 6 February 2007. Retrieved 19 April 2007.
  4. ^ "Sites of Special Scientific Interest: Designation". Natural England. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  5. ^ "Designated Sites View: Kent". Natural England. Retrieved 23 May 2018.