The table below provides you with a quick summary of all the UK designations and the respectively responsible departments/organisations.
| Designation | Abrv. | Level | Description | Authority | Legislation |
| Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty | AONB | National | An outstanding landscape whose distinctive character and natural beauty are so precious that it is in the nation’s interest to safeguard them. | Natural England | |
| Ancient Woodland | National | A woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (or 1750 in Scotland). | Town and Country Planning Act 1990 | ||
| Biosphere Reserve | International | Designated under UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme. | UNESCO | ||
| Community Forest | National | Each Community Forest is a partnership between LPAs and local, regional and national partners including the Forestry Commission and Natural England. The founding basis for each Forest is a government-approved Forest Plan, a 30-year vision of landscape-scale improvement. |
National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 (section 21), Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (Schedule 11) |
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| Conservation Area | National | They are designated for their special architectural and historic interest. Conservation areas are not intended to prevent development altogether. They ensure that development is monitored and controlled to ensure that proposals within or adjacent to the conservation area are sympathetic to the character and appearance of their surroundings. | Historic England | Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 | |
| Environmentally Sensitive Area | ESA | A type of designation for an agricultural area which needs special protection because of its landscape, wildlife or historical value. | DEFRA | ||
| Global Geopark | International | Part of the Global Geopark Network supported by UNESCO. | UNESCO | ||
| Local | Green belt land refers to an area that is kept in reserve for an open space, most often around larger cities. The main purpose of the green belt policy is to protect the land around larger urban centres from urban sprawl, and maintain the designated area for forestry and agriculture as well as to provide habitat to wildlife. | LPAs | |||
| Historic Battlefield (Registered Battlefield) | National | Battlefield sites in England are material considerations in the planning process | Historic England | Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953 | |
| Heritage Coast | National | Areas of coastline managed to conserve and enhance their natural beauty, facilitate appreciation by the public, and maintain and improve their environmental health. | Natural England | ||
| Listed Building | National |
It’s one that has been placed on the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest. Grades:
|
Historic England | Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 | |
| Local Nature Reserve | LNR | Local | Areas of special local wildlife or geological interest. | Natural England | National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 (section 21) |
| Marine Protected Area | MPA | National | Marine protected areas include Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for habitats of European importance, Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for birds, Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) and Marine Nature Reserves designated to conserve marine flora and fauna and features of special interest. |
JNCC, Natural England (only supports) |
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| Moorland | National | A moorland or moor is a type of habitat found in upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and montane grasslands and shrublands biomes, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils. | The Wildlife Trusts | ||
| National Nature Reserve | NNR | National | Areas for the preservation of flora, fauna, geological and physiological features of special interest. |
RSPB, LPAs |
National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 (sections 16 to 29) |
| National | Designated to conserve and enhance their natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage and the open air recreation they facilitate.Villages, towns and farms within the boundary of National Parks are also protected. | ||||
| National Trail | National | Long distance routes along footpaths and bridle paths in England and Wales used for walking, cycling and horse riding. | National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 | ||
| Protected Wreck Site | National | These protected areas are likely to contain the remains of a vessel, or its contents, which are of historical, artistic or archaeological importance. | Historic England | ||
| Public Right Of Way | PROW | National | A Public Right Of Way is a way, which the public have a right to pass and re-pass providing that the public stay on the route and do not cause a nuisance or obstruction. | Natural England | |
| Ramsar site | International | An international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. Took its name from the city the convention took place in Iran. | Natural England | Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 | |
| RSPB Reserve | National | From marshes and heathland to estuaries and cliffs, there is a diverse network of reserves all over the UK. | RSPB | ||
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Site of Biological Importance |
SBI | National | One of the non-statutory designations used locally by the Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Staffordshire County Councils in England to protect locally valued sites of biological diversity which are described generally as Local Wildlife Sites by the UK Government. | Wildlife Trusts | No legal protection, only through some LPA policies |
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | SSSI | National |
Important sites of natural habitat, wildlife and geological heritage, including:
|
Natural England | Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 |
| Scheduled Monument | National | A nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. | Historic England | Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 | |
| Special Area of Conservation | SAC | International | Designated under the European Union’s Habitats Directive to be of value for species, plants and habitats. They comprise marine and terrestrial SACs. | EC Habitats Directive (Article 3) | |
| Special Protection Area | SPA | International |
Designated under the Birds Directive to protect internationally valuable populations of bird species. They comprise inshore marine SPAs and terrestrial SPAs. |
EC Birds Directive (Article 4) | |
| UK Biodiversity Action Plan | UKBAP | International | Describes the biological resources of the UK and provides detailed plans for conservation of these resources. | JNCC | |
| World Heritage Site | WHS | International | Sites with internationally important cultural or national heritage.In order to qualify, it must be of outstanding universal cultural or natural value (or both). The age of a site is irrelevant. | UNESCO | UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework |
