Thursley, Hankley and Frensham Commons is a 1,878.5-hectare (4,642-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Godalming in Surrey.[1][2] Thursley and Hankley Commons are Nature Conservation Review sites, Grade I.[3] An area of 115.1 hectares (284 acres) is a local nature reserve called The Flashes[4][5] and an area of 180 hectares (440 acres) is the Elstead Group of Commons, a nature reserve managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust. Thursley Common is a national nature reserve.[6] An area of 265.7 hectares (657 acres) is the Thursley & Ockley Bogs Ramsar site.[7] The site is a Special Protection Area[8] and part of the Thursley, Ash, Pirbright & Chobham Special Area of Conservation.[9] Part of the land area designated as Thursley, Hankley and Frensham Commons SSSI is owned by the Ministry of Defence (Hankley Common)[10].
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 Thursley Common | |
| Location | Surrey |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | SU 892 409[1] |
| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 1,878.5 hectares (4,642 acres)[1] |
| Notification | 1991[1] |
| Location map | Magic Map |
This site is of national importance for its invertebrates, birds and reptiles. It is mainly heathland but the valley mire on Thursley Common is one of the best in the country. Orthoptera include the nationally rare large marsh grasshopper. The site is one of the richest in southern England for birds and of outstanding importance for reptiles, such as the nationally rare sand lizard.[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "Designated Sites View: Thursley, Hankley and Frensham Commons". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
- ^ "Map of Thursley, Hankley and Frensham Commons". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
- ^ Ratcliffe, Derek, ed. (1977). A Nature Conservation Review. Vol. 2. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 115, 206. ISBN 0521-21403-3.
- ^ "The Flashes". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
- ^ "Map of The Flashes". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
- ^ "Designated Sites View: Thursley". National Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
- ^ "Designated Sites View: Thursley & Ockley Bogs". Ramsar Site. Natural England. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
- ^ "Designated Sites View: Thursley, Hankley & Frensham Commons". Special Protection Areas. Natural England. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
- ^ "Designated Sites View: Thursley, Ash, Pirbright & Chobham". Special Areas of Conservation. Natural England. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
- ^ "Mapping the habitats of England's ten largest institutional landowners". Who owns England?. 2020-10-06. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ "Thursley, Hankley and Frensham Commons citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
