Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs)

Northern Ireland equivalent of SSSIs.

Visit the Environment and Heritage Service Northern Ireland website for more information.

Further information

ASSIs are the broadly equivalent measure to SSSIs in Northern Ireland. There are some differences in the ways in which they are designated and the responsibilities of the various parties for their protection.

The ASSI system is dependent upon the voluntary principle similar to that which governed SSSI management prior to the CroW Act. When an ASSI is declared, owners and occupiers receive a list of notifiable operations. These are activities which the agency considers damage the special interest of the site.

Should an owner or occupier of an ASSI wish to carry such an operation the agency can offer to enter into a management agreement, with the possibility of a compensatory payment on conclusion of the negotiations. If no agreement is reached within a certain time, however, the operation can go ahead.

More information on ASSIs can obtained from the Environment and Heritage Service Nothern Ireland.

Relevant section of How to win: Saving wildlife sites

Section 3: Nature Conservation Designations and Schemes

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