Sites of Special Scientific Interest: Dartmoor
(asked on 23rd February 2026) - View Source
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what specific targets the Department has set for improving the condition of SSSIs within Dartmoor National Park during this Parliament.
Answered by
Mary Creagh
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environmental Improvement Plan 2025 sets out an interim target for 50% of SSSI features to have actions on track by 2030, alongside a long‑term ambition for 75% of protected sites to be in favourable condition by 2042.
The 50% of actions on track interim target will actively help improve the condition of SSSIs, including those in the Dartmoor National Park.
The Protected Landscapes Targets and Outcomes Framework sets the ambition for 80% of all SSSIs within protected landscapes, which includes the Dartmoor National Park, to be in favourable condition by 2042.
Natural England has also committed to completing updated condition assessments for all SSSIs by 2032. This will provide the evidence needed to target interventions effectively and inform future management decisions on Dartmoor and elsewhere.