Special Protection Areas (England)

<p>A Special Protection Area (SPA) is the land designated under <a href='https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32009L0147' target='_blank' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>Directive 2009/147/EC on the Conservation of Wild Birds</a>. SPAs are strictly protected sites classified in accordance with <a href='https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=celex:31979L0409' target='_blank' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>Article 4 of the EC Birds Directive</a>, which came into force in April 1979. They are classified for rare and vulnerable birds (as listed on Annex I of the Directive), and for regularly occurring migratory species.</p> <p>Data supplied has the status "Classified". The data does not include "Potential" sites.</p> <p>Boundaries are mapped against Ordnance Survey MasterMap.</p><p>Full metadata can be viewed on <a target='_blank' href='https://data.gov.uk/dataset/174f4e23-acb6-4305-9365-1e33c8d0e455/special-protection-areas-england' rel='nofollow ugc noopener noreferrer'>data.gov.uk</a>.</p>