dataset · Wales
Special Areas of Conservation (SACs)
This spatial dataset contains digital boundaries of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in Wales. The EC Habitats and Species Directive came into effect in 1992 with the aim of maintaining a rich variety of wildlife by protecting vulnerable habitats, and the plants and animals they support. The Habitat Directive together with the 1979 Birds Directive will lead to the establishment of a series of sites throughout Europe that will be known as 'Natura 2000'. This represents the cream of European s
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Licence: ["There are no access restrictions on this data. NRW may release, publish or disseminate it freely.", "\u00a9 CNC/NRW All rights Reserved. Contains Ordnance Survey Data. Ordnance Survey Licence number
Evidence quality: 45.9
Listed in data.gov.uk public catalogue API on 2026-10-16; relevance/value screened (haiku).
Metadata checked: 2026-10-14T13:20:00.000Z
What's in it
- Data offered docs-verified
- Special Areas of Conservation boundaries (Wales)
- Coverage docs-verified
- Wales
- Update frequency docs-verified
- as needed
- Formats docs-verified
- Web Mapping Service (WMS)
- Access docs-verified
- Free/open: no access restrictions; NRW may release, publish or disseminate freely. Licence: ENTRY lists '© CNC/NRW All rights Reserved. Contains Ordnance Survey Data' (truncated); DOCS dataset licence 'Not set', site content under OGL v3.0 except where otherwise stated.
Useful for
- Use cases llm-inferred
- Habitats Regulations screening: check whether a development site or discharge is within or near an SAC in Wales · Ecological constraints layer for planning applications and EIA scoping in Wales · GIS overlay of SAC boundaries against river catchments and water body assets for WFD/abstraction or outfall assessments
- Audience llm-inferred
- environmental consultants · ecologists · planners · GIS analysts · water and civils engineers
Limitations
- Constraints llm-inferred
- Wales only; does not cover England, Scotland or Northern Ireland · Update frequency is 'as needed', so currency depends on NRW publishing changes · Dataset reference date is 2022-11-28 while the page was updated 8 October 2026 · DOCS give no spatial accuracy, scale or source-mapping resolution · Only a Web Mapping Service link is listed; no bulk download format is stated · Dataset-level licence is 'Not set' and ENTRY licence text is truncated, so check the terms before redistribution · Designations are ongoing from 1993, so the boundary set may change
Evidence
- https://datamap.gov.wales/layers/inspire-nrw:NRW_SAC
- https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/1dac346d-28ad-4dfc-9025-22a2ba93f1ad/special-areas-of-conservation-sacs4
Check upstream coverage, uncertainty and licence before use. Station observations are not forecasts or design levels.