Natural Environment - Conservation

The following organisation’s conserve, preserve and protect North Devon’s unique landscape and environment. The Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), the world class environment of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Exmoor National Park, The National Trust, the Marine Nature Reserve of Lundy Island, Harland’s Heritage Coast and the 16 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) experienceDevon’s customized itinerary planning can help you to discover and explore these hidden areas.

The heart of North Devon is the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, centred around Braunton Burrows and encompassing the whole region in it’s buffer zone. This is the only on of it’s type in the UK and is a tremendous accolade by the United Nations Education, Scientific & Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in recognition of the world class environment in all of North Devon. The Burrows is one of the best sand dune eco-systems in the northern hemisphere. It is a paradise for botanists because of the great diversity of species found here; there are nearly 500 different indigenous plants!

The North Devon coast and moorland is part of the Exmoor National Park. This is as close as we get to wilderness in the UK as there has been little change here for hundreds of years. All of the coast and for some miles inland the cliff tops and seashore are protected by its designation as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). This is exactly what it says it is: a precious landscape whose distinctive character and natural beauty are so outstanding that it is in the nation's interest to safeguard them. Much of the coastal strip is also conserved by the National Trust, which is the largest voluntary conservation organisation in Europe, both in terms of the historic environment and the amount of land held in trust for nature conservation. The Trust’s vision is for a healthy environment supporting a rich diversity of wildlife to be valued and enjoyed by present and future generations.

North Devon has 16 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which represent the best sites for wildlife and geology. This includes the Taw-Torridge Estuary which is nationally important for wintering wildfowl and wading birds. Lundy Island was designated the UK’s first Marine Nature Reserve in 1986. The sea and seabed themselves are conserved here and so it is a magnet for seabirds and grey seals. Lundy lies off the coast of North Devon, where the Atlantic ocean meets the Bristol Channel with nothing between it and America, a granite outcrop, three and a half miles long and half a mile wide. It is also home to rare species such as Lundy cabbage, water germander and golden hair lichen. So special is this area of coastal waters that in 1994 part of it, between Combe Martin and Woolacombe, was designated a Voluntary Marine Conservation Area (VMCA). This is managed by the Devon Wildlife Trust and it’s main focus is to raise peoples understanding and enjoyment of the marine environment though participation in conservation.