Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI) is a designation used in many parts of the United Kingdom to protect areas of importance for wildlife and geology at a county scale. In other parts of the country the same designation is known by various other names, including Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC), County Wildlife Site and Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation. Overall, the designation is referred to as a "non-statutory wildlife site", or a "Local Wildlife Site" as part of Local Site systems, which include Local Geological Sites including Regionally Important Geological Sites (RIGS). The designated sites are protected by local authorities from most development.
Selection of the sites is usually done by the County Wildlife Trust, RIGS Groups or Geology Trusts, or their equivalents. For example, in Kent, local wildlife sites are identified by the Kent Wildlife Trust). Selection is objective and is normally based upon a recent survey specifically designed for SNCI, but selection on the basis of existing, published information may also occur. The approach is similar to that used for the selection of biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), but the thresholds are lower.
Selection is primarily for habitats of inherent wildlife interest, but some sites may be selected for supporting rare or scarce species of plants or animals outside such habitats. The areas concerned may be areas of 'natural' habitats, or they may be man-made – for example, the 40-acre (160,000 m2) West Norwood Cemetery is designated a Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation by the London Borough of Lambeth
Once identified, designation and protection of the areas are done by local authorities through planning policies in their development plans. National government guidance (PPS 9) requires all development plans to include such policies. The variation in names for the designation reflects its separate existence in the different development plans for different areas. In PPS 9, the designation is referred to as a "Local Site", which may be divided into Local Geological Sites and Local Wildlife Sites.
In some areas, the designation is subdivided, or additional, more local designations are also used. For example, in the London metropolitan area, the following three designations are used:[1]
This designation is restricted to sites of importance for wildlife. Geological sites of county importance have their own designation: Regionally Important Geological Sites (RIGS).