Nature Networks
This project is funded by the Nature Networks Programme. It is being delivered by the Heritage Fund, on behalf of the Welsh Government.
There are about 1,000 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in Wales, covering about 12% of the country. These vary in size from entire mountain ranges to small single meadows.
The ‘features’ of an SSSI are reasons for the site’s special status and protection - around 650 of these are individual plant taxa. In 2020, a Natural Resources Wales report said how SSSIs in Wales are doing: one message was that 50% of species features on SSSIs were considered to be in ‘unknown’ condition.
The BSBI’s two-year project aims to help out by looking into 165 'missing' plant features - those with no records on the BSBI Distribution Database (DDb) in the past 20 years, within the boundaries of those sites.
Plans for 2025
Of the 165 ‘missing’ features at the start of the project in June 2024, the list has been whittled down to under 100 now. The 2025 field season is the time to survey (and hopefully refind!) as many of the remaining priorities as possible.
Working with our volunteer botanical recorders, we will be surveying and assessing individual plant special features on SSSIs in Wales - improving evidence of their condition, informing conservation objectives, and helping to inform future management.
If you're interested in finding out more, or getting involved with surveys, then follow the project via the BSBI Cymru Bluesky account or get in touch.
