Habitat data

IWLRC maintains a Geographic Information System (GIS) containing detailed information on habitats from sites across the Island, including woodlands, heathland, chalk grassland, acid/neutral meadows, ponds and coastal sites. The data has been digitised from a wide range of surveys and is continually being updated as more information is received.

Aerial photographic coverage and various layers of site boundary information including statutory and non-statutory sites are also held.
The GIS enables IWLRC to produce a wide range of maps and perform spatial analyses between these different layers and the GIS layers are constantly updated as new data comes in from a variety of sources.

Statutory sites

IW LRC holds copies of all the statutory site boundaries maintained by Natural England, including:

• Special Protection Areas (SPA)
• Special Areas of Conservation (SAC)
• Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
• Ramsar Sites
• National Nature Reserves (NNR)
• Local Nature Reserves (LNR)

Non-Statutory sites

IWLRC holds site boundaries for all non-statutory sites within the Island including:

• Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC)*
• Biodiversity Opportunity Areas
• Ancient Woodland Inventory Sites
• Regionally important geological and geomorphological sites (RIGGS)

*SINCs are non-statutory sites which are valuable for wildlife. They have substantive nature conservation value and their continued presence makes a significant contribution to maintenance of
biodiversity. They may also have an important role in contributing to public enjoyment and understanding of nature. DEFRA guidance is that they should encompass all areas of substantive value, including both the most important and the most distinctive species, habitats, geological and geomorphological features within a national, regional and local context.
 
The Biodiversity Partnership has the responsibility of reviewing the SINC register and recommending to the Local Planning Authority any necessary changes. The following documents give more details, but may not reflect any recent changes. For full and current records and more accurate maps, please contact the Local Records Centre.

• Guidelines for SINC Identification, Selection & Designation
• Revised SINC criteria
• A complete list of Isle of Wight SINCs with code numbers and habitat types
• A map of indicative SINC locations. (jpg, 3MB)

Species data

Copies of datasets belonging to partner organisations are held and, through data exchange agreements with these partners, IWLRC can supply species information on their behalf.  In particular, data administered by the IWNHAS on behalf of species recording groups can be accessed via IWLRC.

To request any of this information please see our data enquiry service at Data Requests.

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