Areas of Special Scientific Interest
Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) are areas of land that have been identified by scientific survey as being of the highest degree of conservation value. They have a well-defined boundary and by and large remain in private ownership. The underlying philosophy is to achieve conservation by co-operation and in this, the part played by landowners is fully recognised and appreciated.
See why they are Worthy of Protecting (.PDF 730Kb)
.
The law relating to ASSIs is contained in the Environment (Northern Ireland) Order 2002. NIEA must, as required by the law laid down in the Order, declare land as ASSIs if it is of special scientific interest because of the flora or fauna that is found on it, or because of geological features.
The red areas on the map are those designated as ASSIs.
When an ASSI is declared, owners and occupiers receive a list of notifiable operations. These are activities which the Department considers may have a significant impact on the site selection features of the designated area.
Should a landowner wish to carry out a notifiable operation they must apply to the Department for Consent using an ASSI Consent Form (.PDF 110Kb)
. A hard copy of this form can be posted out, please call Natural Heritage, Conservation Designation and Protection (CDP) Unit on 028 9056 9514.
Some ASSIs are also designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs).
Download A Forward Programme for the Declaration of Areas of Special Scientific Interest in Northern Ireland (.PDF 146Kb)
(Please note that this document was written in March 2003 and as such some references contained in it are no longer relevant or up to date.)
