Sites of Special Scientific Interest

The Register holds information on all SSSIs across Scotland.  A SSSI is an area of land that Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) considers to be special for its plants, animals, habitats, its rocks or landforms, or a combination of such natural features.

The purpose of SSSIs is to safeguard and represent the diversity and geographic range of the natural features of Scotland, Great Britain and the EU member states. 

The Register will hold the following information on every SSSI:

  • a citation describing the land and natural features for which SNH considers it to be of special interest
  • PDF map of the boundary (Digital SSSI boundaries are also provided for illustrative and search purposes)
  • list of operations requiring consent. 

The Register is available to both the public and legal profession from this link.

Searching of the Register is free of charge.  Users can find SSSIs using either a map or by entering search criteria such as a town name or postcode.