Discover our SSSI's
The Tamar Valley National Landscape’s four ecological Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI’s) are our finest sites for wildlife and natural features. They support rare and endangered species and important semi-natural and priority habitats.
Nationally, SSSI’s are seen to be representative of UK wildlife as a whole.
The Government has prioritised improving the condition of SSSI’s in the Protected Landscapes Targets and Outcome Framework (2024) , so that these habitats and features are in a healthy state and are being conserved by appropriate management.
Discover more about SSSI’s in the Tamar Valley National Landscape below.
Tamar-Tavy Estuaries SSSI
Tamar-Tavy Estuaries SSSI is located from the Tamar Bridge upstream to the limits of tidal influence in both the Tamar (Gunnislake Weir) and the Tavy (Lopwell Dam). The estuary is a large marine inlet with discharge from a series of rivers with an extensive catchment in Cornwall and Devon.
The 1,414ha site was designated as a SSSI in 1991 because of its international importance for nature conservation. It is a key park of the Plymouth Sound and Estuaries Marine Protected Area and contains saltmarsh, reedbeds, mudflats, fens and fringing ancient deciduous woodland habitats. The SSSI is particularly important as a wintering site for wildfowl and waders.
The site supports:
- Nationally important wintering population of avocets
- Black-tailed godwits
- Whimbrels
- Greenshanks
- Spotted redshanks
- Green sandpipers
- Golden plovers
Lynher Estuary SSSI
Info to come
Greenscoombe Wood Luckett SSSI
Info to come
Grenofen Wood and West Down SSSI
Info to come.
Geological SSSI's
Info to come.
Restoring SSSI's
More info about the Protected Landscape Targets and Outcomes Framework will be posted here.
