Owners and occupiers of SSSIs
SSSIs in private ownership
The majority of SSSIs are privately owned. In general, such land
is primarily managed for agricultural, forestry or other purposes,
rather than for wildlife conservation.
SSSIs are often owned by more than one individual or
organisation. The land may be used and managed by the
owner(s) themselves and/or tenants, as well as by third parties who
may hold rights to graze, fish, shoot or exploit other resources.
There are around 12,000 different owners and occupiers of SSSIs in
Wales (excluding holders of common land and other rights).
SSSIs on common land
Common land is normally privately
owned but certain individuals, ‘commoners’, have rights to the
shared use of the land – usually for grazing. One site may have
numerous commoners. 209 SSSIs include Registered Common Land,
covering over 77,526 ha. This equates to 30% of all SSSIs by
area.
