Area of special scientific interest


An area of special scientific interest or ASSI is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in Northern Ireland. ASSIs are the equivalent of sites of special scientific interest in the rest of the United Kingdom.
They are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Northern Ireland are based upon them, including national nature reserves, Ramsar sites, Special Protection Areas, and Special Areas of Conservation.