Non-Statutory Sites Data
County Wildlife Sites (CWS)
County Wildlife Sites, (or Cumbria Local Wildlife Sites) are defined areas, identified and
selected locally for their nature conservation value based on important, distinctive and
threatened habitats and species within a national, regional and local context. Cumbria has 1,634 County Wildlife Sites.
They were designated and reviewed at a county level by the Wildlife Selection Panel for the
Cumbria Local Wildlife Sites Partnership, administered by Cumbria Wildlife Trust. This Panel has not met for a while but Cumbria Wildlife Trust are working towards reinstating so that it can contribute to the Cumbria Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
Special Roadside Verges (Verges)
There are 642 Special Roadside Verges identified by Cumbria County Council as being of notable
importance for their habitat. These sites are not formally designated but will be considered by
the Cumbria Local Wildlife Sites Partnership against the Site Selection Guidelines. Some of
these sites are already SSSI’s or County Wildlife Sites.
Sites of Invertebrate Significance (SIS)
Sites of Invertebrate Significance were identified by the former Cumbria Biodiversity Data
Network (CBDN) as being of notable importance for invertebrates. These 285 sites are not formally
designated but do broadly meet the criteria for selection as County Wildlife Sites. Many are
already within SSSI or County Wildlife Site boundaries.
Geological Sites
Currently there are about 280 recorded sites of geological importance in Cumbria. All of which have been evaluated by members of Cumbria GeoConservation. Site details are logged with Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre (CBDC) and are shared with CBDC’s partners and clients for planning and development purposes. Cumbria GeoConservation operates as a special interest group of Cumbria Wildlife Trust.
