Special Protection Area A Special Protection Area or SPA is a designation under the European Union directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds ( 79/409/CEE ) . Member States of the European Union have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds . SPAs comprise one or more SSSIs ( Site of Special Scientific Interest ) or ASSIs ( Areas of Special Scientific Interest ) , for example Broadland SPA is a conglomeration of 28 SSSIs . Together with Special Area of Conservation or SACs , the SPAs form a network of protected sites across the European Union , called Natura 2000 . Each SPA has an EU code , e.g. the North Norfolk Coast SPA has the code UK9009031 . There are 87 proposed or designated SPAs in England , Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland . See List of special protection areas in the United Kingdom for a list of these . See also Ramsar Convention Protected areas of the United Kingdom UK sites recognised for their biodiversity conservation importance Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance Categories : Special Protection Areas In other languages : Català | Česky | Deutsch | Español | Esperanto | Français | Polski 