List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Greater Manchester

This is a list of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in Greater Manchester
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...

, a metropolitan county in North West England

North West England

North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...

. In England the body responsible for designating SSSIs is Natural England

Natural England

Natural England is the non-departmental public body of the UK government responsible for ensuring that England's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna, freshwater and marine environments, geology and soils, are protected and improved...

, which chooses a site because of its fauna

Fauna

Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...

, flora

Plant

Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...

, geological

Geology

Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...

or physiographical features. , there are 21 sites designated within this Area of Search

Area of Search

Areas of Search are geographical areas used in the selection of Sites of Special Scientific Interest. In England these are largely based on the 1974–1996 administrative counties...

, of which 14 have been designated due to their biological interest, 5 due to their geological interest, and 2 for both biological and geological interest.

Natural England

Natural England

took over the role of designating and managing SSSIs from English Nature

English Nature

English Nature was the United Kingdom government agency that promoted the conservation of wildlife, geology and wild places throughout England between 1990 and 2006...

in October 2006 when it was formed from the amalgamation of English Nature, parts of the Countryside Agency

Countryside Agency

The Countryside Agency in England was a statutory body set up in 1999 with the task of improving the quality of the rural environment and the lives of those living in it. The Agency was formed by merging the Countryside Commission and the Rural Development Commission...

and the Rural Development Service

Rural Development Service

The Rural Development Service was formerly part of the UK Government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs . It ceased to exist on 1 October 2006 following the creation of Natural England.- History :...

. Natural England, like its predecessor, uses the 1974-1996 county system

Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England

Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of subdivisions of England used for the purposes of local government outside Greater London. As originally constituted, the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties each consisted of multiple districts, had a county council and...

and as such the same approach is followed here, rather than splitting these sites between the Lancashire and Cheshire lists. The data in the table is taken from English Nature's website in the form of citation sheets for each SSSI.

For other counties, see List of SSSIs by Area of Search.

Sites

Site name	Reason for Designation		Area		Grid reference	Year in which notified	Map
Site name	Biological Interest	Geological Interest	Hectares	Acres	Grid reference	Year in which notified	Map
Abram Flashes			39.6	98.0		1990	http://www.natureonthemap.naturalengland.org.uk/map.aspx?map=sssi&feature=1005699,sssi,HYPERLINK,LABEL
Ashclough			5.8	14.3	&	1988	http://www.natureonthemap.naturalengland.org.uk/map.aspx?map=sssi&feature=1003262,sssi,HYPERLINK,LABEL
Astley & Bedford Mosses			92.2	227.8		1989	http://www.natureonthemap.naturalengland.org.uk/map.aspx?map=sssi&feature=1002755,sssi,HYPERLINK,LABEL
Brookheys Covert			2.4	5.8		1977	http://www.natureonthemap.naturalengland.org.uk/map.aspx?map=sssi&feature=1002793,sssi,HYPERLINK,LABEL
Bryn Marsh & Ince Moss			68.3	168.8	&	1989	http://www.natureonthemap.naturalengland.org.uk/map.aspx?map=sssi&feature=1005647,sssi,HYPERLINK,LABEL

Dark Peak

The Dark Peak is the higher, wilder northern part of the Peak District in England.It gets its name because , the underlying limestone is covered by a cap of Millstone Grit which means that in winter the soil is almost always saturated with water...

Hollinwood Branch Canal

The Hollinwood Branch Canal was a canal near Hollinwood, in Oldham, England. It left the main line of the Ashton Canal at Fairfield Junction immediately above lock 18. It was just over long and went through...

Huddersfield Narrow Canal

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal is an inland waterway in northern England. It runs just under from Lock 1E at the rear of the University of Huddersfield campus, near Aspley Basin at Huddersfield to the junction with the Ashton Canal at Whitelands Basin in Ashton-under-Lyne...

Ludworth Intake

Ludworth Intake is a 5.1 hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Greater Manchester, England. It was notified in 1998 for its geological interest.-References:* *...

Nob End

Nob End is the site of a former waste tip, and now a Site of Special Scientific Interest near Kearsley, Bolton, England.Standing at the confluence of the River Irwell and River Croal it was used around 1850-70 as a tip for alkaline waste from the production of sodium carbonate by the Leblanc...

Rochdale Canal

The Rochdale Canal is a navigable "broad" canal in northern England, part of the connected system of the canals of Great Britain. The "Rochdale" in its name refers to the town of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, through which the canal passes....

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| align="center" |2000
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| South Pennine Moors
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| align="right" |20,938.1
| align="right" |51,739.0
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| align="center" |1994
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|Tonge River Section
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| align="right" |0.7
| align="right" |1.8
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| align="center" |1987
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