Editing Special Area of Conservation (section)

==Assessment methodology in the United Kingdom==
Prior to being designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), sites have been assessed under a two-stage process set out by the [[Joint Nature Conservation Committee]]. The value of the proposed site is considered in relation to the whole national resource of each habitat type and of each species.

===Stage one===

Firstly, assessment of the relative importance of sites containing examples of the individual habitat types. Four criteria are used:
* the degree of representativity;
* the area;
* the degree of conservation of habitat structure and functions;
* restoration possibilities and a global assessment of conservation value (i.e. an overall assessment).

Secondly, species assessment evaluates population size and density, the degree of conservation of the features of the habitat that are important for the species and restoration possibilities, the degree of isolation of the population in relation to the species' natural range and a global assessment of conservation value.<ref name="SAC">{{Cite web |title=Cors Caron - Special Areas of Conservation |url=https://sac.jncc.gov.uk/site/UK0014790 |access-date=2024-07-23 |website=sac.jncc.gov.uk |publisher=Joint Nature Conservation Committee}}</ref>

===Stage two===

This stage is often informally referred to as 'moderation'. The criteria used in Stage 2 are intended to be used to assess the sites at the level of the [[Biogeographic regions of Europe|nine biogeographical regions]] and the EU as a whole. The Stage 2 criteria may be summarised as:
*relative value of the site at national level;
*relationship of the site to migration routes or its role as part of an ecosystem on both sides of one or more Community frontiers;
*total area of the site;
*number of habitat types and species present;
*global ecological value of the site at the level of the biogeographical region and/or EU as a whole.