Wildlife

Broadleaved Woodland

These rich habitats are home to a plethora of pollution-sensitive lichens; strange organisms that are a partnership of algae and fungi. The clean damp air blowing in off the sea and across the Biosphere Reserve provides ideal growing conditions.

Coastal Heathland

Rare within Devon with sites on the Morte Point headland between Marsland and Clovelly and between Combe Martin and Foreland Point near Lynmouth.  Coastal heath tends to occur in a mosaic of semi natural habitat which includes scrub and bracken. Dwarf shrubs like heather and gorse are a prominent component.

North Devon Journal article on this habitat

Culm Grassland

This increasingly important habitat is unique to south west England and is increasingly rare. As well as being a home to rare wildlife such as otters, dormice and the marsh fritillary butterfly, they help prevent flooding by soaking up water and then releasing it gradually into rivers and streams.

Enclosed Farmland

The majority of the area covered by the Biosphere Reserve is a rural landscape dominated by agriculture.  Much of this farmland is of significant wildlife value.

Estuary

The bed of the estuary is home to some very special creatures  including tiny pea crabs that live inside mussel shells, lugworms that burrow in the mud and hydrobia snails that graze on its surface when the tide goes out. The mudflats are packed with nutrients and can support many millions of these tiny creatures that are themselves food for wading birds like curlew, godwit and redshank.

Up to 20,000 birds have been counted in a single day. Look out for the salt marshes - rare habitats and effective sea defences. Taw Torridge Estuary Forum

Marine Environment

North Devon's Biosphere Reserve includes Lundy Island, England's first Marine Protected Area. As well as seals and a variety of other marine species, Lundy's seas are also home to endemic (found no where else) coral. Coastwise North DevonMarine Conservation Society Sustainable seas

Parkland and Wood Pasture

These are historic places of old trees and open grazed grassland that often date back many hundreds of years. They are often associated with country houses and estates and are a distinctive element of both the the Biosphere Reserve's landscape and cultural heritage.

Rivers and Streams

River and stream catchments are the basis of the Biosphere Reserve's boundary. They link the coast with inland areas and are a habitat for many iconic and rare species such as otters.

North Devon Journal article on this habitat

Pearl Rivers pilot project

Rocky Intertidal

The rocky foreshore habitats of the northern Devon coast, many of which are inaccessible by foot, are among the richest in Britain and are home to a diverse and fascinating range of plants and animals.

North Devon Journal article on this habitat

Sand Dunes

Braunton and Northam Burrows are the best places to see this habitat. Braunton Burrows is internationally recognised as one of the finest dune systems in the northern hemisphere. It is an amazingly rich habitat with hundreds of flowering plant species and associated animals.

North Devon Journal article on this habitat

Species Rich Hedgerows

The many, many miles of hedge that criss-cross this area are amongst the very best in the world. Truly, they are one of its world class features. Not only are they a haven for wildlife, but they tell the history of the landscape and are intimately entwined with its culture. More

North Devon Journal article on this habitat

Towns and Villages

Wildife is not confined to the countryside and can be found in association with with people in urban areas. Playing fields, gardens and parks provide large areas of green space that can be valuable wildlife habitat.

Traditional Orchards

Orchards have long been an important part of north Devon's agriculture, landscape and culture. Traditional orchards tend to be of good wildlife value and of great beauty. They are very much a man-made habitat and are much valued by the public.

Mazzard orchards are a traditional cherry variety grown in the Landkey area on land called Mazzard Greens and they are one of the orchard types of particular interest in north Devon.

North Devon Journal article on this habitat