Nature Conservation Review

Contents

Nature Conservation Review The Nature Conservation Review is a landmark survey and inventory of valued sites in the United Kingdom published in 1977 by Derek Ratcliffe and colleagues through Cambridge University Press. It provided a systematic assessment of ecologically significant locations across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland and directly informed statutory designations such as Site of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserve. The work linked field science from institutions like the Nature Conservancy Council with policy bodies including the Department of the Environment and influenced conservation practice in bodies such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Overview

The Review catalogued over 1,500 sites across the United Kingdom using a classification scheme that distinguished habitats such as calcareous grassland, lowland heath, ancient woodland, and peat bog while prioritising sites by ecological quality and representativeness. Drawing on expertise from organisations including the Nature Conservancy Council, the Natural Environment Research Council, the Royal Society, and university departments at University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and University of Edinburgh, the work aimed to provide an evidence base for conservation decisions used by the Nature Conservancy Council and later by agencies like English Nature and Scottish Natural Heritage. It was widely cited in policy debates involving the Town and Country Planning Act 1947 and later environmental legislation.

The Review grew from post‑war conservation initiatives led by figures connected to the Nature Conservancy and research programmes funded by the Natural Environment Research Council. Early surveys by regional committees, fieldwork conducted by staff from institutions such as the British Museum (Natural History), and influence from international documents like the IUCN Red List and the Ramsar Convention shaped its scope. Key contributors included ecologists and botanists linked to Kew Gardens, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and the Scottish Wildlife Trust. The publication in 1977 followed decades of mapping, herbarium studies, and liaison with local conservation charities such as the National Trust and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Survey methods combined quantitative field surveys, historical records from repositories like the Public Record Office and herbarium collections at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and expert judgement from academics at University of Leeds, University of Birmingham, and University College London. Sites were evaluated using criteria that reflected rarity, diversity, naturalness, size, and typicalness, concepts debated at meetings involving the Zoological Society of London and the British Ecological Society. The classification drew on habitat typologies used in publications by J. E. Lousley and others associated with the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 era. Data underpinning selections were cross‑checked against records from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and regional government conservation offices.

The Review identified exemplar locations such as upland moors in the Peak District National Park, calcareous cliffs on Skomer Island, blanket bogs in Flow Country, and lowland heaths in Dartmoor National Park. It provided a ranked list separating Grade 1 and Grade 2 sites, influencing designation of National Nature Reserves like Hampstead Heath and Exmoor locations, and supporting protection for coastal sites along Norfolk Coast and The Wash. The typology informed later inventories of Sites of Special Scientific Interest and complements lists maintained by organisations including the Marine Conservation Society and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

The Review became a touchstone for policy formation by agencies such as the Nature Conservancy Council, English Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage, and the Countryside Council for Wales. Its rankings were used in land‑use decisions related to infrastructure projects overseen by departments like the Ministry of Transport and planning decisions under the Town and Country Planning Act 1971. The Review influenced statutory lists that underpin international obligations under the Bern Convention and guided UK submissions to UNESCO for biosphere reserves. Conservation charities including the National Trust and the RSPB used the Review to prioritise acquisitions and management interventions.

Scholars and practitioners debated the Review’s reliance on expert judgement versus quantitative metrics, with critique from academics at University of Manchester, University of Glasgow, and the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management. Concerns were raised about representativeness in regions such as East Anglia and coastal zones, and debates involved organisations like the Countryside Commission and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Critics argued the Review under‑represented urban fringe habitats and socioeconomic contexts emphasised by policy analysts from London School of Economics and legal scholars referencing the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Responses included calls for revision and supplementary inventories by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

The Review’s legacy persists in successor programmes and frameworks: the Joint Nature Conservation Committee inventories, statutory procedures for Site of Special Scientific Interest notification, and later assessments such as the UK Biodiversity Action Plan and the UK Post‑2010 Biodiversity Framework. Institutions like Natural England, NatureScot, and Natural Resources Wales continue to use its classifications alongside modern tools from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and databases maintained at National Biodiversity Network. The Review remains a foundational reference in debates involving conservation NGOs, academic ecologists, and governmental conservation agencies.