Catalogue description Nature Conservancy and successors: National Nature Reserves: Management Plans

National Nature Reserves (NNRs) were established to protect the most important areas of wildlife habitat and geological formations in Britain, and as places for scientific research. They are either owned or controlled by English Nature or held by approved bodies such as Wildlife Trusts.

English Nature and its predecessors own or lease the NNRs or have an agreement with the landowner, lessee or occupier to ensure that proper conservation management is implemented on the reserve.

The Reserves are found across the UK, and between them they contain nearly every type of vegetation including coastal salt-marshes, dunes and cliffs, downlands, meadows and native woodlands. Scarce and threatened habitats such as chalk downs, lowland heaths and bogs and estuaries are conserved in NNRs. They also contain nationally important populations of rare flowers, ferns and mosses, butterflies and other insects, and nesting and wintering birds.