Newlyn Downs

File:Newlyn Downs - geograph.org.uk - 399493.jpg

Newlyn Downs is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in north Cornwall, England, UK, noted for its biological characteristics.{{cite web |year=1997 |title=Newlyn Downs |url=http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/2000160.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061849/http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/2000160.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=25 January 2012 |publisher=Natural England}}

Geography

The {{convert|115.7|ha|acre|adj=on}} SSSI, notified in 1997, is located mainly within the civil parish of St Newlyn East, {{convert|7|km|mi}} south of the town of Newquay. The streams that rise on the site are tributaries of the River Gannel.{{cite web|title=Newlyn Downs map|url=http://www.natureonthemap.naturalengland.org.uk/map.aspx?map=sssi&feature=2000160,sssi,HYPERLINK,LABEL|publisher=Natural England|access-date=25 January 2012}}Ordnance Survey: Explorer map sheet 106 Newquay & Padstow {{ISBN|978-0-319-24016-8}} The Downs are also designated a Special Area of Conservation.{{cite web|title=Newlyn Downs|url=http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/protectedsites/sacselection/sac.asp?EUCode=UK0030065|publisher=Joint Nature Conservation Committee|access-date=26 January 2012}}

Wildlife and ecology

The soil of the site, deriving from slate-based mudstones and siltstones, is permanently waterlogged in large places. It is the foundation for the largest area in Cornwall of Southern Atlantic wet heath, containing cross-leaved heath (Erica tetralix) and Dorset heath (Erica ciliaris).

References

Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cornwall

Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest notified in 1997

Category:Special Areas of Conservation in Cornwall