National Nature Reserves in England - Definition and Overview

National Nature Reserves in England are managed by English Nature and are key places for wildlife and natural features in England. They were established to protect the most important areas of habitat and of geological formations. NNRs are managed on behalf of the nation, not always by English Nature themselves, but sometimes by non-governmental organisations such as the members of The Wildlife Trusts partnership, the National Trust, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds or others.

There are over 200 NNRs in England covering over 800 km² and practically every kind of landscape. Often they contain rare species or nationally important species of plants, insects, butterflies, birds, mammals etc.

From these 200+ reserves, English Nature has selected 34 as "Spotlight Reserves":

• Ainsdale Sand Dunes NNR, Merseyside
• Aston Rowant NNR, Oxfordshire
• Barnack Hills & Holes NNR, Cambridgeshire
• Castle Eden Dene NNR, Durham
• Derbyshire Dales NNR, Derbyshire
• Duncombe Park NNR, North Yorkshire
• Durham Coast NNR, Durham
• East Dartmoor Woods and Heaths NNR, Devon
• Farne Islands NNR, Northumberland
• Fenn's, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses NNR, Shropshire
• Finglandrigg Woods NNR, Cumbria
• Gait Barrows NNR, Lancashire
• Gibraltar Point NNR, Lincolnshire
• Golitha Falls NNR, Cornwall
• Holkham NNR, Norfolk
• Ingleborough NNR, North Yorkshire
• Kingley Vale NNR, West Sussex
• Lindisfarne NNR, Northumberland
• Lower Derwent Valley NNR, East Riding of Yorkshire
• Moor House-Upper Teesdale NNR, Cumbria & Durham
• North Meadow, Cricklade NNR, Wiltshire
• Old Winchester Hill NNR, Hampshire
• Redgrave and Lopham Fen NNR, Norfolk & Suffolk
• Saltfleetby-Thiddlethorpe Dunes NNR, Lincolnshire
• Shapwick Heath NNR, Somerset
• Slapton Ley NNR, Devon
• Stiperstones NNR, Shropshire
• Stodmarsh NNR, Kent
• Studland and Godlingston Heath NNR, Dorset
• Teesmouth NNR, Teesside
• The Lizard NNR, Cornwall
• Thursley NNR, Surrey
• Walberswick NNR, Suffolk
• Wicken Fen NNR, Cambridgeshire
• Wye NNR, Kent

See:

• National Nature Reserves in Bedfordshire
• National Nature Reserves in Cambridgeshire
• National Nature Reserves in Cumbria
• National Nature Reserves in Derbyshire
• National Nature Reserves in Essex
• National Nature Reserves in Lancashire
• National Nature Reserves in Norfolk
• National Nature Reserves in Suffolk
• National Nature Reserves in Teesside
• National Nature Reserves in Yorkshire
• Sutton Park
• Wyre Forest

See also:

• Nature reserve
• National Nature Reserve
• National Nature Reserves in Wales
• National Nature Reserves in Scotland
• National Nature Reserves in Northern Ireland