Special Protection Area
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A Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Union directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds (79/409/CEE).
Member States of the European Union have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds. The Conservation (Natural Habitats etc) Regulations 1994 implements the terms of the Directive in Scotland, England and Wales. In the UK, SPAs may comprise one or more SSSIs (Site of Special Scientific Interest) or ASSIs (Areas of Special Scientific Interest), for example Broadland SPA is a conglomeration of 28 SSSIs. In Scotland, some SPAs have been classified without any underpinning designation by SSSI. Together with Special Area of Conservation or SACs, the SPAs form a network of protected sites across the European Union, called Natura 2000.
Each SPA has an EU code, e.g. the North Norfolk Coast SPA has the code UK9009031.
As at 21st September 2006, there were 252 classified SPAs and 12 proposed SPAs in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. See List of special protection areas in the United Kingdom for a list of these.
