These Regulations make provision for the selection, designation, registration and notification of sites to be protected under the Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. These Regulations also implement aspects of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. They make provision in respect of European sites for: (a) control of damaging operations caused by human activity; (b) special nature conservation orders and restoration orders; (c) byelaws of the appropriate nature conservation body; and (d) compulsory acquisition. The Regulations extend protection to European marine sites.
The Regulations further provide for, among other things: protection of species, additional protection of habitats and wild animals and plants and assessment of plans and projects having a potential effect on European sites. They impose imposes a duty on the Secretary of State and Welsh Ministers to make arrangements for the surveillance of the conservation status of natural habitats and species protected under the Habitats Directive and require them to make arrangements to establish a system to monitor the incidental capture and killing of animals listed in Annex IV(a) to the Habitats Directive. They also require the effect on a European site to be considered before the granting of consents or authorisations of a kind specified in the Regulations. Schedule 1 sets out the procedure of Special Nature Conservation Orders.