Sites of Biological Importance, or SBIs, are areas that have been identified as being of importance for species and habitats. They are part of a national suite of sites also known as Local Wildlife Sites (LWS) and are selected based on their ecological value.
The Greater Manchester Ecology Unit (GMEU) runs the SBI Register for, and on behalf of, the ten Greater Manchester Local Authorities
Whilst SBIs do not have statutory protection they are protected from development through national and local planning policy.
In Greater Manchester a grading system is used to reflect the range of the geological and landscape characters of the area, the diversity of the habitats that these support and the degree of urbanisation across the County.
You can download the SBI Selection Guidelines here. You can also download the SBI Register, for free, under the Open Government Licence v3. The download zip file contains GIS files in SHP, TAB, GPKG and GeoJSON (WGS) format. It is important to note that not all SBIs are open to the public.
Every year GMEU surveys 15% of the SBIs within each of the ten districts. We produce an annual review of changes. The latest County-wide summary can be downloaded here.
As of spring 2025 there are currently 536 SBIs on the register, covering over 13,000ha of Greater Manchester. New sites are regularly added as they are discovered or additional information becomes available.
Use the form below to submit a new site for consideration. By completing this form, you consent to the storage and use of the information provided, including your name and email address. This enables us to review your suggested site and contact you if further details are required.
You can submit species records to us using this form. We don't always have access to records submitted to other platforms e.g. iNaturalist or eBird. If you'd like your records to be used for local conservation and informing planning policy within Greater Manchester make sure you submit them to GMLRC
Greater Manchester Ecology Unit,
Dukinfield Town Hall,
King Street,
Dukinfield,
SK16 4LA
0161 342 3123
info@gmwildlife.org.uk
An ALERC member
© GMLRC 2026. View our privacy policy and terms of use or update your mailing preferences. The information on this website has been provided as general information only and the Greater Manchester Ecology Unit can not accept responsibility for loss occasioned after reliance placed on any of the contents of this website. The Greater Manchester Ecology Unit makes no warranty as to the accuracy of site information or contents.
Powered by GMEU Swift © 2026