List of Cornwall Sites of Special Scientific Importance

Map of WONZ Cornwall

St. Michaels Mount - WONZ in West Cornwall

Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI ) ^[1] ( eng. Site of Special Scientific Interest ; SSSI) - a term denoting a natural monument in the UK protected by law ^[2] . There are 167 such properties registered in Cornwall County. Cornwall, located in the south-west of England, has a population of 533,800 people (2011) living in an area of ​​3,546 km ² , which makes the county one of the most densely populated. Cornwall is washed by the English Channel in the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean in the northwest. The coastline is 697 km; the coast is mostly rocky, rugged by many bays and bays . Scilly archipelago is located 45 km southwest of the Cornwall Peninsula, and there are also small islands scattered along the southern coast of the peninsula. The geology of the territory is represented mainly by rocks of the Devonian and Carboniferous geological periods. Granite predominates with inclusions of tin , copper , lead and arsenic mined in the region. All this predetermines many different forms of relief, including such as sand dunes , rocky reefs, various capes, as well as wastelands , swamps and unusual rivers ^{[3] [4]} .

Special protected status is obtained by nature monuments of biological and geological significance in accordance with special selection rules. In England, Natural England is responsible for assigning the status of a site of special scientific importance , whose experts evaluate whether this area is of particular interest due to its fauna , flora , geological, physical-geographical or geomorphological features. Natural England was established on October 1, 2006 as a result of the merger of three organizations: Countryside Agency , English Nature and the Rural Development Service ; and received all their powers, in particular on assigning territories of special scientific importance. To date, 167 sites have been assigned this status in Cornwall County: 81 sites are of biological interest, 54 sites are of particular geological interest, and 32 are both simultaneously ^{[5] [6]} .