In 1965 a review of the nation's heritage of wildlife and its habitats was was initiated by the Nature Conservancy Council, then a component body of the Natural Environment Research Council. This led to the publication of two volumes of 'The Nature Conservation Review' in 1977.  The review describes the biological features of more than 700 sites, classified in major habitat groups, and sets out criteria by which the importance of each site for nature conservation can be judged.  It is a valuable aid to planners and managers in reaching decisions about the future use of rural land because it sets the gold-standard for sites of conservation interest.

This particular topic is a development of the chapter on 'peatlands'.