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Cannock Chase and Cank Wood National Character Area (NCA) extends north of the Birmingham and Black Country conurbation and includes a major area of this city. It is situated on higher land consisting of sandstone and the South Staffordshire Coalfield. The NCA principally coincides with the historical hunting forest of Cannock Chase, with major remnants surviving within the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), which supports internationally important heathland Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and the Sutton Park National Nature Reserve.
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