In addition to Local Nature Reserves, the Council works with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust to identify and manage sites of particularly local significance for their nature conservation value.
Sites that contain locally uncommon or rare species, important habitats or support the Biodiversity Action Plan can be recognised as Local Wildlife Sites and be given protection under specific policies in the Local Plan. There are more than one hundred such sites in the Local Plan area.
Details are given on this List of Derbyshire Wildlife Sites. (191KB) 
More than 120 different plants are found at Ferneydale Grassland, including many locally distinctive and attractive flowers, such as a fragrant orchid, autumn gentian, harebell and salad burnet. The importance of this site has been recognised through designation as a Local Wildlife Site and it is hoped that further designation as a Local Nature Reserve will follow once a management plan has been formally adopted.
Ancient woodland sites are those which have had a continuous woodland cover since at least 1600 AD to the present day, and have only been cleared for under-wood or timber production. A wood present in 1600 is likely to have been in existence for centuries.
Ancient woodlands tend to support a characteristic and often diverse range of plant and animal species. All ancient woodlands are protected as Local Wildlife Sites and there are 18 in the Local Plan area.