Site of Biological Importance
Encyclopedia
A Site of Biological Importance (or SBI) is one of the non-statutory designations used locally by the Greater Manchester
, Cheshire
and Staffordshire
County Council
s in England
to protect locally valued sites of biological diversity which are described generally as Local Wildlife Sites by the UK Government. The term SBI should not be confused with Site of Special Scientific Interest
.
The guidance from the Her Majesty's Government concerning Local Sites states that:
SBIs have no legal protection, but do receive some protection through different policies and they must be taken into consideration by the local authority when planning applications affect the site. Sites are selected using a number of attributes that include; habitat
type, diversity
and rarity
of the species
present, and the sites naturalness.
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
and Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
County Council
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
s in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to protect locally valued sites of biological diversity which are described generally as Local Wildlife Sites by the UK Government. The term SBI should not be confused with Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
.
The guidance from the Her Majesty's Government concerning Local Sites states that:
The series of non-statutory Local Sites seek to ensure, in the public interest, the
conservation, maintenance and enhancement of species, habitats, geological and geomorphological features of substantive nature conservation value
SBIs have no legal protection, but do receive some protection through different policies and they must be taken into consideration by the local authority when planning applications affect the site. Sites are selected using a number of attributes that include; habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
type, diversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
and rarity
Rarity
Rarity can refer to:* something that is rare or scarcePeople, including:*John Rarity, English physicistFictional characters, including:*Rarity , a character from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic...
of the species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
present, and the sites naturalness.