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An area of special scientific interest or ASSI is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in Northern Ireland. ASSIs are the equivalent of sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) in the rest of the United Kingdom.
They are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Northern Ireland are based upon them, including national nature reserves, Ramsar sites, Special Protection Areas, and Special Areas of Conservation.