Page "Protected areas of the United Kingdom" Paragraph 1

Within the United Kingdom, different approaches are taken to some forms of protection within the constituent countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, while other forms of protection are more consistent across the UK.

Protected areas can be divided according to the type of resource which each seeks to protect.

Primarily, these are: scenic or landscape value ; biodiversity value ( species and habitats ); geodiversity value ( relating to geology and geomorphology ); and cultural or historic value.

Several types of protected areas are focused on more than one of these areas.