Less than a quarter of England’s most important habitats inspected in the last six years are in good condition, a new Unearthed analysis reveals. 

Sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) are areas that are legally protected for their rare or endangered plants or animals, rare ecosystems or geological features. England has more than a million hectares of SSSI land.

Official statistics suggest that over a third (34.5%) of land with SSSI status is “in favourable condition” and the government stated last year that there had been no change in the proportion of sites in this condition since 2016.

The vast majority of “favourable” assessments are based on outdated inspections, the analysis shows. The government’s nature advisor recommends that sites should be monitored every six years, but 81% of “favourable” assessments date from before July 2018. 

Analysis by Unearthed found that of the areas inspected within this timeframe, 77% were in “unfavourable condition”.

A quarter of SSSI units have not been assessed at all since the Conservative government came to power in 2010. Over the same period budgets for Natural England, which is responsible for monitoring SSSIs, have been slashed. Natural England did not provide an on-the-record comment for this piece.

“Successive UK governments have presided over this precipitous decline of our most important places for nature,” said Kate Jennings, head of site conservation and species policy at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

“England is now one of the most nature-depleted countries on earth. The next government will inherit legally binding targets for nature’s recovery and must step up to their international commitments too.”

A damselfly, under threat from pollution and over-abstraction in England, sits on the vegetation growing on the banks of the river Test in Hampshire. Photo: Elizabeth Dalziel/Greenpeace

The UK government led the push for the global deal to protect 30% of land and seas by 2030, a target known as “30 by 30” that was agreed at the landmark biodiversity summit in December 2022. The government also set out new legally binding targets under the Environment Act, including a target to halt species decline by 2030. 

Labour has pledged to uphold the 30 by 30 target and to halt the decline of British species – although this was not included in the party’s manifesto.

As little as 3% of England’s land – and 5% across the UK – is currently being effectively protected, research by the RSPB found in 2021. The study looked at the amount of land that is currently protected by an official designation such as SSSI and in good condition.  

Data also suggests that the more recently a site has been assessed, the more likely it is to be classified as being in poor condition. An analysis by NGO WildJustice published last year found that while only 1% of land last assessed before 2011 was classified as declining, this figure shot up to 31% for sites last assessed between 2021 and 2023. 

A wildlife haven in peril

The River Test SSSI, in Hampshire, is a chalk stream – one of the rarest habitats on the planet, found almost exclusively in England. 

The river’s famously clear waters are world renowned for their trout and salmon fishing, and are also home to otters and kingfishers. Its banks are lined with marigolds, iris and watercress, and it features in the novel Watership Down. 

But the River Test SSSI has not been monitored by Natural England since 2013. Many parts of the site were classified as being in unfavourable condition even then, including the river itself, due to pollution, invasive species and over-abstraction – excessive removal of water from the river for human use. 

Riverkeeper Ben Biswell stands above a sewage overflow pipe as he holds a discarded extendable rod used to test water quality in the River Test in Testcombe Chilbolton, Hampshire UK. Local riverkeepers have been protesting sewage pollution on the Test. Photo: Elizabeth Dalziel/Greenpeace

Campaigners say the problems persist, and tests reveal that an increasingly complex cocktail of chemicals is hidden in its waters. In 2022, testing by the University of Portsmouth identified 121 insecticides, herbicides and pharmaceuticals in the Test and the adjoining river Itchen. The most significant levels were found downstream of sewage treatment plants. 

A 2023 investigation by Unearthed found 673 hours of sewage discharges into the river on 53 occasions in 2022 alone, and the riverkeepers have recorded further discharges since. This year, local riverkeepers organised protests at Southern Water’s nearby treatment works. 

Over-abstraction, too, continues to be a problem. South-east England, where the Test lies, is the most water-stressed part of the country and its chalk rivers are a source of drinking water for millions of people. 

“Water companies have been taking too much water from the rivers and from boreholes,” said  Justin Neal, a solicitor at the NGO Wildfish. “This means that the habitats of the two rivers have been denuded of life and are now less resilient to the inflow of sewage, especially in times of drought,  when the water companies seek to take more. ”

He added: “Urgent action is required to stop the unsustainable abstraction before the unique sub-species of chalk stream salmon in these rivers is driven to extinction.” 

Although the Environment Agency reached an agreement with Southern Water in 2018 that the company would reduce the amount it is abstracting by 2027, documents uncovered by Wildfish point to a plan to extend this deadline by eight years. The NGO is threatening legal action if the extension goes ahead. 

Insects swarm in the area where ducks swim on the river Test in Hampshire, UK. Photo: Elizabeth Dalziel/Greenpeace

Southern Water told Unearthed it plans to build a new reservoir and a water recycling project, and is investing in environmental projects to reduce its impact on the river. “Hampshire’s chalk streams are precious – we remain committed to our role in improving their health,” said Nick Mills, the company’s environment and innovation director. 

He added: “Southern Water’s activity is only one of many factors which can impact river health, including agriculture, wildlife and industry.”

The company plans to reduce sewage discharges using “nature-based and engineering solutions”. Mills said: “Storm overflows only happen to protect communities from flooding when groundwater and surface water overloads our sewers.”

Seth Crosswaite is a riverkeeper who works and fishes on the river at Houghton Lodge, near Stockbridge. He has been visiting the River Test – the birthplace of fly fishing – since childhood. 

“When I came to look after this legendary river, I never thought I would be fighting pollution or water companies. It’s one of the most beautiful rivers in the world. These things used to be pristine,” he told Unearthed.