Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are the country's very best wildlife and geological sites. There are over 4,000 SSSIs in England - one of them being |Esher Common. They include some of our most spectacular and beautiful habitats - wetlands teeming with waders and waterfowl, winding chalk rivers, gorse and heather-clad heathlands, flower-rich meadows, windswept shingle beaches and remote moorland and peat bogs. SSSIs support rare plants and animals that now find it difficult to survive in the wider countryside.

Over half of this SSSI land is also internationally important for its wildlife, and has been designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Special Protection Areas (SPAs) or Ramsar sites. Many SSSIs are also National Nature Reserves (NNRs) or Local Nature Reserves (LNRs).

To find out more about SSSI's and why it is important to maintain them on the |Natural England (Previously English Nature) and |Forestry Commission websites.

If you would like to know more about the Esher Commons SSSI site and the conservation works taking place have a look at our |Countryside Management webpages.

If you would like to speak to an Officer, |contact Leisure and Cultural Services Countryside Team.