(1)Where the Nature Conservancy Council are satisfied that any land which—
(a)is being managed as a nature reserve under an agreement entered into with the Council;
(b)is held by the Council and is being managed by them as a nature reserve ; or
(c)is held by an approved body and is being managed by that body as a nature reserve,
is of national importance, they may declare that land to be a national nature reserve.
(2)A declaration by the Council that any land is a national nature reserve shall be conclusive of the matters declared; and subsections (4) and (5) of section 19 of the 1949 Act shall apply in relation to any such declaration as they apply in relation to a declaration under that section.
(3)On the application of the approved body concerned, the Council may, as respects any land which is declared to be a national nature reserve under subsection (1)(c), make byelaws for the protection of the reserve.
(4)Subsections (2) and (3) of section 20 and section 106 of the 1949 Act shall apply in relation to byelaws under this section as they apply in relation to byelaws under the said section 20.
(5)In this section—
" approved body " means a body approved by the Council for the purposes of this section ;
" nature reserve " has the same meaning as in Part III of the 1949 Act.