In England, national nature reserves (NNRs) are designated by Natural England as key places for wildlife and natural features. They were established to protect the most significant areas of habitat and of geological formations. NNRs are managed on behalf of the nation, many by Natural England itself, but also by non-governmental organisations, including the members of The Wildlife Trusts partnership, the National Trust, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
There are 224 NNRs in England covering . Often they contain rare or nationally important populations of species, such as birds, plants, insects, reptiles and mammals.
Spotlight NNRs Natural England has selected 35 as spotlight reserves:Natural England Spotlight Reserves
Ainsdale Sand Dunes NNR, Merseyside Aston Rowant NNR, Oxfordshire Barnack Hills & Holes NNR, Cambridgeshire Castle Eden Dene, County Durham Derbyshire Dales NNR, Derbyshire Duncombe Park NNR, North Yorkshire Durham Coast, County Durham East Dartmoor Woods and Heaths NNR, Devon Farne Islands NNR, Northumberland Fenn's, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses NNR, Shropshire/Wales 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, Northumberland Lower Derwent Valley NNR, East Riding of Yorkshire Moor House-Upper Teesdale, Cumbria & County Durham North Meadow, Cricklade NNR, Wiltshire Old Winchester Hill NNR, Hampshire Redgrave and Lopham Fen, Norfolk & Suffolk Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe 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 Suffolk Coast NNR, Suffolk Thursley NNR, Surrey Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire Wye NNR, Kent
For a full list of English NNRs, see List of national nature reserves in England
See also Nature reserve National nature reserve (United Kingdom) Nature reserves in Northern Ireland National nature reserve (Scotland) National nature reserves in Wales
References
External links Interactive map of designations in England from sketchmap.co.uk, including National Nature Reserves boundaries (select 'Nature Reserves' in UK map layers)