nature reserve

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nature reserve An area of land that is managed primarily to protect its flora, fauna, or physical features from harm that might result from a change in land use. Public access may be restricted or forbidden. Reserves may be owned privately or by a government agency. In the UK, reserves designated as national nature reserves are managed (but the land is not necessarily owned) by a government agency; those designated by local authorities, in consultation with the appropriate national agency, are known as local nature reserves. Voluntary conservation bodies often manage local nature reserves and have also established many reserves of their own.

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