Most of the bay bears national and international nature conservation designations. These include the Sandwich Bay to Hacklinge Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the Sandwich Bay Special Area of Conservation (SAC), the Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay Special Protection Area for birds (SPA), and the Thanet Coast and Sandwich Bay Ramsar Site. The southern emerald damselfly ("Lestes barbarus") was found here in 2003, only the second site in Great Britain at which this vagrant species had occurred. There are several Geological Conservation Review sites within the SSSI. The bay is also home to the Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory Trust and the Monk's Wall nature reserve.