List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest on the Isle of Wight

The Needles, part of Headon Warren And West High Down SSSI

This is a list of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) on the Isle of Wight, England. The Isle of Wight is an island and county three miles off the south coast of England in the English Channel. Its geology is complex, with a chalk downland ridge running east to west through its centre and important fossil beds from the Lower Cretaceous to the Lower Tertiary around the coast. This geology gives rise to many distinct habitats, with strong maritime influences, including chalk grassland, neutral meadows, and broad-leaved woodland. The Isle of Wight has a population of 140,000, making it one of the country's smaller counties in terms of population.

In England, the body responsible for designating SSSIs is Natural England, which chooses a site because of its fauna, flora, geological or physiographical features. Natural England took over the role of designating and managing SSSIs from English Nature in October 2006, when it was formed from the amalgamation of English Nature, parts of the Countryside Agency, and the Rural Development Service. As of 2008, there are 41 sites designated in this Area of Search; of these, 26 have been designated for their biological interest, four for their geological interest, and 11 for both.

The data in the table is taken from citation sheets for each SSSI, available at their website.

Sites

Site name	Reason for designation		Area[A]		Grid reference[B]	Year in which notified	Map[C]
	Biological interest	Geological interest	Hectares	Acres
Alverstone Marshes	Y		83.8	207.0	SZ572859	1951	[1]
America Wood	Y		21.4	52.9	SZ567820	1986	[2]
Arreton Down [D]	Y		29.8	73.6	SZ540872	1979	[3]
Bembridge Down	Y	Y	56.3	139.0	SZ628856	1951	[4]
Bembridge School And Cliffs		Y	12.6	31.1	ST647869	1999	[5]
Bonchurch Landslips	Y	Y	28.2	69.7	SZ582785	1977	6
Bouldnor And Hamstead Cliffs	Y	Y	95.7	236.4	SZ390910	1951	[6]
Brading Marshes to St. Helen's Ledges	Y	Y	488.5	1207.0	SZ635883	1951[E]	[7]
Briddlesford Copses	Y		167.2	413.2	SZ549904	2003	[8]
Calbourne Down	Y		15.4	38.1	SZ429858	1989	[9]
Colwell Bay		Y	13.6	34.2	SZ323873	1959	[10]
Compton Chine to Steephill Cove	Y	Y	629.2	1554.8	SZ489763	2003	[11]
Compton Down	Y	Y	196.3	484.9	SZ365856	1951	[12]
Cranmore	Y		12.4	30.7	SZ393901	2002	[13]
Cridmore Bog	Y		14.4	35.6	SZ495815	1985	[14]
Eaglehead and Bloodstone Copses	Y		10.3	25.5	SZ584877	1987	[15]
Freshwater Marshes	Y		23.3	57.6	SZ344866	1951	[16]
Garston's Down	Y		20.3	50.2	SZ475855	1971	[17]
Greatwood And Cliff Copses	Y		16.3	40.3	SZ5680–SZ5780	1986	[18]
Headon Warren And West High Down	Y	Y	276.3	682.6	SZ316852	1951	[19]
King's Quay Shore	Y	Y	97.2	240.1	SZ536935	1951	[20]
Lacey's Farm Quarry		Y	0.1	0.3	SZ323862	1993	[21]
Lake Allotments	Y		0.2	0.5	SZ586838	1988	[22]
Locks Farm Meadow	Y		2.3	5.7	SZ449908	1988	[23]
Medina Estuary	Y		100.5	248.3	SZ508924	1977	[24]
Mottistone Down	Y		31.4	77.6	SZ414846	1971	[25]
Newtown Harbour[F]	Y		619.3	1530.3	SZ425915	1951	[26]
Northpark Copse	Y		9.9	24.5	SZ435885	1986	[27]
Parkhurst Forest	Y		183.5	453.3	SZ473915	1986	[28]
Priory Woods		Y	2.9	7.3	SZ635900	1998	[29]
Prospect Quarry	Y	Y	4.3	10.6	SZ385866	1971	[30]
Rew Down	Y		23.5	58.1	SZ550775	1977	[31]
Rowridge Valley	Y		39.8	98.3	SZ454864	1951	[32]
Ryde Sands and Wootton Creek	Y		424.4	1048.7	SZ548920–SZ634908	1993	[33]
Shide Quarry	Y		4.8	11.8	SZ506881	1971	[34]
St Lawrence Bank	Y		0.5	1.2	SZ536768	1998	[35]
The Wilderness	Y		12.6	31.1	SZ505824	1951	[36]
Thorness Bay[G]	Y	Y	86.2	213.0	SZ455935	1966	[37]
Ventnor Downs	Y		162.6	401.8	SZ575786	1951	[38]
Whitecliff Bay And Bembridge Ledges	Y	Y	131.6	325.2	SZ657872	1955	[39]
Yar Estuary	Y		132.4	327.2	SZ353886	1977	[40]

Notes

^A Data rounded to one decimal place.

^B Grid reference is based on the British national grid reference system, also known as OSGB36, and is the system used by the Ordnance Survey.

^C Link to maps using the Nature on the Map service provided by English Nature.

^D Arreton Down was originally notified as a geological SSSI, but was then renotified in 1987 for its biological interest only.

^E This site includes three former SSSIs known as St Helen’s Duver, Brading Marshes and St. Helen’s Ledges. They were notified in 1951, 1971 and 1977 respectively.

^F This also includes the former SSSI, Hart’s Farm Meadows which was designated in 1986.

^G This site was formerly known as Gurnard Ledge to Saltmead Ledge SSSI and was extended in 1987.