New regulations proposed by the government would leave 22 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in the Lewes area unprotected from environmental damage and harm from genetically modified organisms. In total, there are only 63 SSSIs in East Sussex, which are among Britain's very best wildlife and geological sites.
The news was revealed by local Lib Dem MP Norman Baker, who has now called on the government to rethink its plans.
The government is currently drawing up legislation to implement European environmental regulations which would make businesses financially and legally accountable for the environmental damage they cause.
Under government proposals, however, the law would be applied in its weakest form, meaning that many British wildlife species and SSSIs would not be covered by the regulations.
Mr Baker said: "The EU issued this Directive with the intention of making the polluter pay. But the UK government seems intent on neutering the law and doing as little as possible to bring polluters to account.
"The government's plans would leave out 375 different wildlife species, including threatened animals like the water vole and the red squirrel. Over three thousand SSSIs across Britain would be left unprotected, including 22 in my constituency.
"It is absurd that a law that claims to protect the environment would exclude some of Britain's most important wildlife species and scientific sites. The government must rethink its approach on this law, and the polluter must pay."
Mr Baker has signed two parliamentary motions and is writing to the government to register his protest against the plans.
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