Target 2010 – South West. The condition of the region’s Sites of Special Scientific Interest (ST128)

The South West region comprises the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire and the former county of Avon. It is home to a rich and diverse wildlife. There is an outstanding diversity of habitats and species that are very rare, and of very high quality, of which the region can be justifiably proud. Prime examples include the heathland of Dorset, the uplands of Dartmoor and Exmoor,
the wet grasslands of Somerset, the varied wet heath of the Culm Measures in Devon, the rolling chalk downlands of Wiltshire and the outstanding lowland heath and coastal grassland of the Lizard in Cornwall. In addition, the varied geology of the region is outstanding, with superb coastal features (including a World Heritage Site), rich mineral deposits and internationally important fossils. The countryside and natural beauty of the South West, in particular the coast (which is proportionately the longest of any region) and the National Parks, is the mainstay of a significant tourism industry.
Please note; this document is published for historic and research purposes