Wednesday, July 7, 1999 Published at 06:18 GMT 07:18 UK
Wildlife site protection 'not working'
Twyford Down, Hampshire: Lost to development
By Environment Correspondent Alex Kirby
The 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act established the United Kingdom's system of national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty, designed to give special protection to some of the best loved landscapes.
There are almost 6,500 SSSIs in England, Scotland and Wales, covering about 8% of the surface of Britain. They are chosen for their biological or geological interest.
They range in size from the Wash, at 66,000 hectares, to more than 130 sites of less than half a hectare. Most are in private hands.
Protection not promised
But the SSSI system has one key flaw - it designates the best sites, but cannot guarantee them protection.
A main concern is the voluntary principle underpinning the system, which means that landowners face at most a small fine if they damage or destroy a site without consulting the relevant conservation adviser.
An FoE study of 50 sites, "SSSIs: RIP", details some of the shortcomings it says the system allows:
FoE, the World Wide Fund for Nature and other groups want the government to introduce a countryside Bill which will include better site protection.
But they say they fear a bill drafted by the Environment Department has yet to be included in the 1999 Queen's Speech.
One MP supporting their call, Helen Brinton, said: "We urgently need to live up to our promises and deliver new laws."
"If we do not demonstrate a positive, popular agenda for the countryside, mine and other Labour MPs' seats will go."