This resource contains the spatial dataset of Special Areas of Conservation in Great Britain (excluding offshore areas), last updated in March 2026. The date of the latest update to the data is shown in the file name.
The spatial dataset for Northern Ireland is available as a separate resource.
Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) form the UK’s National Site Network. JNCC maintains UK National Site Network datasets (formerly UK Natura 2000 datasets) and periodically publishes updates of the datasets following changes to the site network, which include:
- designation/classification of new sites;
- amendments to existing site boundaries;
- corrections to the datasets or amendments due to updates to the underlying base maps.
This dataset was last updated in March 2026. More recent changes to the UK National Site Network (last updated in March 2026) has resulted in a update to the dataset. Further information on updates to the SAC network, including details of previous updates, can be found on the SACs webpage.
Please note that the statutory nature conservation body responsible for the sites may update site boundary data in between JNCC's periodic updates. To access the latest national site network boundary data, please visit the relevant CNCB website.
