Eco Insight: Non-statutory sites

RSPB Reserves

Boundaries of all land managed, leased, or owned as part of publicly accessible Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) reserves

While these sites do not necessarily have statutory protection (though many of them will also be covered by SSSI, SPA, or Ramsar designations) the RSPB will consult on projects that may have an impact on reserves that they own or manage

Buglife B-lines data

B-Lines are 3km corridors within which wildflower habitat restoration and creation can be focused and coordinated to maximise gains for pollinators. Their aim is help and guide the efforts at national scale to encourage stepping stones of wildlife rich habitats which can restore the connectivity across the habitat needed by pollinators

Important Invertebrate Areas (IIAs)

Places that are home to nationally or internationally significant invertebrate populations and their habitats. As ‘many invertebrates are declining’, IIAs have been mapped by Buglife to ‘know where our most threatened species and assemblages live’

The IIA maps show the network of sites that support its qualifying species. The networks of IIA sites are mapped based on the presence of verified and post-1990 records of IIA qualifying species and the judgement of local experts to tease out the areas of habitat that support them.