List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Greater Manchester facts for kids

Huddersfield Narrow Canal close to Stalybridge.

Welcome to Greater Manchester's special natural places! These are called Sites of Special Scientific Interest, or SSSIs for short. They are areas chosen because they have important plants, animals, rocks, or land features. Think of them as nature's treasures that need extra protection.

What are SSSIs?

SSSIs are like nature reserves, but with a special legal status. They are protected by law to make sure their unique wildlife, plants, or geological features are safe. This helps keep our natural world healthy and diverse for everyone to enjoy.

Protecting Nature in Greater Manchester

In Greater Manchester, there are 21 of these amazing SSSIs. Most of them, 14 to be exact, are special because of their biological interest. This means they are home to rare plants, animals, or important habitats like wetlands or woodlands. Five sites are special for their geological interest, meaning they have important rocks, fossils, or landforms that tell us about Earth's history. Two sites are special for both!

How Sites are Chosen

The job of finding and protecting these sites belongs to an organization called Natural England. They are the experts who decide which areas are important enough to become an SSSI. They look for places with rare species or unique natural features. Once a site is chosen, it gets special care to protect it from harm.

Special Places in Greater Manchester

Here is a list of the SSSIs in Greater Manchester. You can see why each one is special, how big it is, and when it was first protected.

List of Protected Sites

Site name	Why it's Special		Size		Map Location (Grid reference)	Year Protected	See on Map
	Plants & Animals	Rocks & Landforms	Hectares	Acres
Abram Flashes	Y		39.6	98.0	SD610003	1990	Map
Ashclough		Y	5.8	14.3	SD763063 & SD757063	1988	Map
Astley & Bedford Mosses	Y		92.2	227.8	SJ692975	1989	Map
Brookheys Covert	Y		2.4	5.8	SJ742904	1977	Map
Bryn Marsh & Ince Moss	Y		68.3	168.8	SD585025 & SD595025	1989	Map
Compstall Nature Reserve	Y		12.8	31.6	SJ976917	1977	Map
Cotteril Clough	Y		10.3	25.5	SJ805839	1951	Map
Dark Peak	Y	Y	31,852.9	78,708.4	SK110960	1951	Map
Dunham Park	Y		78.0	192.7	SJ740870	1965	Map
Gale Clough And Shooterslee Wood	Y		8.6	21.2	SD702141	1979	Map
Highfield Moss	Y		21.3	52.6	SJ614956	1986	Map
Hollinwood Branch Canal	Y		3.3	8.2	SJ910993–SJ920004	1986	Map
Huddersfield Narrow Canal	Y		18.4	45.5	SJ936986–SD981033	1988	Map
Ladcastle and Den Quarries		Y	2.5	6.2	SD995060	1984	Map
Lowside Brickworks		Y	1.4	3.5	SD941041	1989	Map
Ludworth Intake		Y	5.1	12.7	SJ994911	1998	Map
Nob End	Y		8.8	21.7	SD749063	1988	Map
Red Moss	Y		47.2	116.6	SD635104	1995	Map
Rochdale Canal	Y		25.6	63.1	SD937161–SD891009	2000	Map
South Pennine Moors	Y	Y	20,938.1	51,739.0	SD920300	1994	Map
Tonge River Section		Y	0.7	1.8	SD726095	1987	Map