List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest by Area of Search
# List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest by Area of Search

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in the United Kingdom are areas of conservation, consisting of protected areas, recognised for their biological or geological significance. In Northern Ireland an SSSI is called an area of special scientific interest (ASSI).

An Area of Search (AOS) is a geographical area used in the selection of these sites. In England these are largely based on the 1974–1996 administrative counties (with larger counties divided into two or more areas). In Scotland they are largely based around the 1975 - 1996 districts, whereas in Wales they are based on districts (the second-tier administrative divisions which functioned between 1974 and 1996) or counties. The individual AOSs are between 400 $km^2$ and 4,000 $km^2$ in size. There are 59 AOSs in England, 12 in Wales, and 44 in Scotland.

Until the 2010s, Natural England, which maintains the database of English SSSIs, kept the listing of counties as it was in 1974, but by 2015 they had updated their lists to reflect some later changes. However, two counties abolished in 1996 are still used as areas of search by Natural England: Avon (which is now divided between Somerset, Gloucestershire and Bristol) and Cleveland (which is now divided into County Durham and North Yorkshire).

## England

| Area of Search | Number of sites | Number of sites | Number of sites | Number of sites | Sites list |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Area of Search | Biological | Geological | Both | Total | Sites list |
| Avon | 38 | 39 | 9 | 86 | List of SSSIs in Avon |
| Bedfordshire | 35 | 5 | 0 | 40 | List of SSSIs in Bedfordshire |
| Berkshire | 63 | 8 | 0 | 71 | List of SSSIs in Berkshire |
| Buckinghamshire | 55 | 10 | 0 | 65 | List of SSSIs in Buckinghamshire |
| Cambridgeshire | 90 | 10 | 1 | 101 | List of SSSIs in Cambridgeshire |
| Cheshire | 51 | 7 | 5 | 63 | List of SSSIs in Cheshire |
| Cleveland | 12 | 4 | 2 | 18 | List of SSSIs in Cleveland |
| Cornwall | 81 | 54 | 32 | 167 | List of SSSIs in Cornwall |
| County Durham | 67 | 16 | 5 | 88 | List of SSSIs in County Durham |
| Cumbria | 170 | 70 | 38 | 278 | List of SSSIs in Cumbria |
| Derbyshire | 54 | 28 | 17 | 99 | List of SSSIs in Derbyshire |
| Devon | 109 | 71 | 31 | 211 | List of SSSIs in Devon |
| Dorset | 103 | 20 | 16 | 139 | List of SSSIs in Dorset |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 39 | 14 | 3 | 50 | List of SSSIs in East Riding of Yorkshire |
| East Sussex | 46 | 14 | 4 | 64 | List of SSSIs in East Sussex |
| Essex | 64 | 19 | 3 | 86 | List of SSSIs in Essex |
| Gloucestershire | 69 | 32 | 20 | 121 | List of SSSIs in Gloucestershire |
| Greater London | 30 | 7 | 0 | 37 | List of SSSIs in Greater London |
| Greater Manchester | 14 | 5 | 2 | 21 | List of SSSIs in Greater Manchester |
| Hampshire | 108 | 4 | 6 | 118 | List of SSSIs in Hampshire |
| Herefordshire | 62 | 21 | 4 | 83 | List of SSSIs in Herefordshire |
| Hertfordshire | 36 | 7 | 0 | 43 | List of SSSIs in Hertfordshire |
| Isle of Wight | 26 | 4 | 11 | 41 | List of SSSIs on the Isle of Wight |
| Kent | 67 | 21 | 10 | 98 | List of SSSIs in Kent |
| Lancashire | 49 | 14 | 6 | 69 | List of SSSIs in Lancashire |
| Leicestershire | 58 | 12 | 6 | 76 | List of SSSIs in Leicestershire |
| Lincolnshire | 98 | 23 | 3 | 121 | List of SSSIs in Lincolnshire |
| Merseyside | 10 | 1 | 3 | 14 | List of SSSIs in Merseyside |
| Norfolk | 123 | 25 | 15 | 163 | List of SSSIs in Norfolk |
| North Yorkshire | 162 | 56 | 23 | 241 | List of SSSIs in North Yorkshire |
| Northamptonshire | 48 | 9 | 0 | 57 | List of SSSIs in Northamptonshire |
| Northumberland | TBC | TBC | TBC | 114 | List of SSSIs in Northumberland |
| Nottinghamshire | 63 | 1 | 2 | 66 | List of SSSIs in Nottinghamshire |
| Oxfordshire | 76 | 27 | 7 | 110 | List of SSSIs in Oxfordshire |
| Rutland | 16 | 1 | 2 | 19 | List of SSSIs in Rutland |
| Shropshire | TBC | TBC | TBC | 110 | List of SSSIs in Shropshire |
| Somerset | 83 | 35 | 9 | 127 | List of SSSIs in Somerset |
| South Yorkshire | 18 | 14 | 3 | 35 | List of SSSIs in South Yorkshire |
| Staffordshire | TBC | TBC | TBC | 65 | List of SSSIs in Staffordshire |
| Suffolk | 109 | 28 | 5 | 142 | List of SSSIs in Suffolk |
| Surrey | 52 | 8 | 2 | 62 | List of SSSIs in Surrey |
| Tyne and Wear | 25 | 6 | 6 | 37 | List of SSSIs in Tyne and Wear |
| Warwickshire | TBC | TBC | TBC | 62 | List of SSSIs in Warwickshire |
| West Midlands | 11 | 9 | 3 | 23 | List of SSSIs in the West Midlands |
| West Sussex | 54 | 19 | 5 | 78 | List of SSSIs in West Sussex |
| West Yorkshire | 21 | 9 | 2 | 32 | List of SSSIs in West Yorkshire |
| Wiltshire | 108 | 21 | 5 | 134 | List of SSSIs in Wiltshire |
| Worcestershire | 106 | 15 | 5 | 121 | List of SSSIs in Worcestershire |

    $^A$ A number of sites are split between more than one county and will be included in this table more than once.

## Northern Ireland

| County | Areas | Areas | Areas | Areas | Sites list |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| County | Biological | Geological | Both | Total | Sites list |
| County Antrim | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of ASSIs in Antrim |
| County Armagh | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of ASSIs in Armagh |
| County Down | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of ASSIs in Down |
| County Fermanagh | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of ASSIs in Fermanagh |
| County Londonderry | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of ASSIs in Londonderry |
| County Tyrone | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of ASSIs in Tyrone |

## Scotland

| Area of Search | Number of sites | Number of sites | Number of sites | Number of sites | Sites list |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Area of Search | Biological | Geological | Both | Total | Sites list |
| Angus and Dundee | TBC | TBC | TBC | 45 | List of SSSIs in Angus and Dundee |
| Annandale and Eskdale | TBC | TBC | TBC | 15 | List of SSSIs in Annandale and Eskdale |
| Badenoch and Strathspey | TBC | TBC | TBC | 23 | List of SSSIs in Badenoch and Strathspey |
| Banff and Buchan | TBC | TBC | TBC | 20 | List of SSSIs in Banff and Buchan |
| Berwickshire and Roxburgh | TBC | TBC | TBC | 54 | List of SSSIs in Berwickshire and Roxburgh |
| Caithness | TBC | TBC | TBC | 65 | List of SSSIs in Caithness |
| Clydesdale and South East Glasgow | TBC | TBC | TBC | 53 | List of SSSIs in Clydesdale and South East Glasgow |
| Cumnock and Kyle | TBC | TBC | TBC | 50 | List of SSSIs in Cumnock and Kyle |
| Dumbarton and North Glasgow | TBC | TBC | TBC | 46 | List of SSSIs in Dumbarton and North Glasgow |
| Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy | TBC | TBC | TBC | 25 | List of SSSIs in Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy |
| East Perth | TBC | TBC | TBC | 47 | List of SSSIs in East Perth |
| East Ross and Cromarty | TBC | TBC | TBC | 35 | List of SSSIs in East Ross and Cromarty |
| Edinburgh and West Lothian | TBC | TBC | TBC | 23 | List of SSSIs in Edinburgh and West Lothian |
| Falkirk and Clackmannan | TBC | TBC | TBC | 20 | List of SSSIs in Falkirk and Clackmannan |
| Gordon and Aberdeen | TBC | TBC | TBC | 35 | List of SSSIs in Gordon and Aberdeen |
| Inverness | TBC | TBC | TBC | 32 | List of SSSIs in Inverness |
| Islay and Jura | TBC | TBC | TBC | 20 | List of SSSIs in Islay and Jura |
| Kincardine and Deeside | TBC | TBC | TBC | 42 | List of SSSIs in Kincardine and Deeside |
| Kintyre | TBC | TBC | TBC | 12 | List of SSSIs in Kintyre |
| Lorne | TBC | TBC | TBC | 24 | List of SSSIs in Lorne |
| Mid and East Lothian | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in Mid and East Lothian |
| Mid Argyll and Cowal | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in Mid Argyll and Cowal |
| Moray and Nairn | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in Moray and Nairn |
| Mull, Coll and Tiree | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in Mull, Coll and Tiree |
| Nithsdale | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in Nithsdale |
| North East Fife | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in North East Fife |
| North Lochaber | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in North Lochaber |
| North West Sutherland | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in North West Sutherland |
| North Wester Ross and Cromarty | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in North Wester Ross and Cromarty |
| Orkney | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in Orkney |
| Renfrew and Cunninghame | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in Renfrew and Cunninghame |
| Rùm and the Small Isles | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in Rum and the Small Isles |
| Shetland | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in Shetland |
| Skye and Lochalsh | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in Skye and Lochalsh |
| South East Sutherland | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in South East Sutherland |
| South Lochaber | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in South Lochaber |
| South Perth | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in South Perth |
| South Wester Ross and Cromarty | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in South Wester Ross and Cromarty |
| Stirling | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in Stirling |
| Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in Tweeddale and Ettrick and Lauderdale |
| West Perth | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in West Perth |
| Western Isles North | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in Western Isles North |
| Western Isles South | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in Western Isles South |
| Wigtown and Stewartry | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | List of SSSIs in Wigtown and Stewartry |

## Wales

| Area of Search | Number of sites | Number of sites | Number of sites | Number of sites | Sites list |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Area of Search | Biological | Geological | Both | Total | Sites list |
| Brecknockshire | TBC | TBC | TBC | 84 | List of SSSIs in Brecknock |
| Carmarthen & Dinefwr | TBC | TBC | TBC | 79 | List of SSSIs in Carmarthen & Dinefwr |
| Ceredigion | TBC | TBC | TBC | 100 | List of SSSIs in Ceredigion |
| Clwyd | TBC | TBC | TBC | 81 | List of SSSIs in Clwyd |
| East Gwynedd | TBC | TBC | TBC | 103 | List of SSSIs in East Gwynedd |
| Gwent | TBC | TBC | TBC | 78 | List of SSSIs in Gwent |
| Mid & South Glamorgan | TBC | TBC | TBC | 69 | List of SSSIs in Mid & South Glamorgan |
| Montgomeryshire | TBC | TBC | TBC | 76 | List of SSSIs in Montgomery |
| Preseli & South Pembrokeshire | TBC | TBC | TBC | 75 | List of SSSIs in Preseli & South Pembrokeshire |
| Radnorshire | TBC | TBC | TBC | 87 | List of SSSIs in Radnor |
| West Glamorgan | TBC | TBC | TBC | 56 | List of SSSIs in West Glamorgan |
| West Gwynedd | TBC | TBC | TBC | 135 | List of SSSIs in West Gwynedd |
