Protected areas and designated sites at Little Wittenham
Summary of protected areas and designated sites within the Wittenhams project area:
- Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) – Approximately 45% of the project area is covered by either the Chilterns AONB or North Wessex Downs AONB. The principal objective of AONB protection is the conservation of natural beauty. Full regard, however, must still be paid to the economic and social well being of the area. Nature conservation and the provision of recreation are not given explicit reference although “natural beauty” is defined as including a reference to fauna, flora, geology, etc. http://www.unep-wcmc.org/cgi-bin/pa_paisquery.p
- Green belt – Approximately 17% of the project area, to the north of the Thames, is in the Oxford green belt. Areas of green belt are regions of countryside surrounding built up areas and are designed to prevent the unrestricted growth of urban sprawl.
- County wildlife sites (CWS) – There are around 20 such sites within the project area. Their main Biodiversity Action Plans include calcareous grassland, wet woodland, lowland meadow and swamp.
- Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) – There are four SSSI sites within the project area: Lowland mixed deciduous woodland at Wittenham Clumps, wet woodland at Culham Brake, and two sites of lowland calcareous grassland at Aston Upthorpe Downs. An SSSI is the land notified as an SSSI under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), as amended. SSSI are the finest sites for wildlife and natural features in England, supporting many characteristic, rare and endangered species, habitats and natural features.
- Special Area of Conservation (SAC) – There is one SAC within the project area, Wittenham Clumps. SAC is a European designation designed to give increased protection to a variety of wild animals, plants and habitats. These areas, designated under the European Union ‘Habitats Directive’, are part of global efforts to conserve the world’s biodiversity initiated at the international ‘Earth Summit’ in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
- Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) nature reserves – There is one BBOWT nature reserve in the project area, which is Cholsey Marsh near Wallingford.
