Blackdown Hills National Landscape

The Blackdown Hills National Landscape, a special upland-plateau straddling Devon and Somerset, combines wooded scarps, heathland, spring-fed valleys and traditional hedged farmland.

Its deep soils, unique geology and mosaic of habitats deliver rich natural-capital values in carbon storage, water regulation, and biodiversity, offering businesses and investors a resilient rural landscape for sustainable land, water and agro-ecological projects.  

Open the drop-down box for a quick overview of the assets and opportunities in Blackdown Hills: 

Welcome to Blackdown Hills National Landscape 

The Blackdown Hills cover roughly 370 km² and was designated in 1991. The land rises from around 50m to 310m, from the sweeping wooded scarp of the north above the M5 to gentle slopes and dissected valleys to the south. 

This landscape features open, windswept ridge-tops and remote plateaux; steep wooded slopes; a network of spring-fed streams and rivers; a patchwork of small enclosed fields bounded by tall hedgebanks; and villages built of local chert and cob. Ancient woodlands, heathlands and valley mires host orchids, butterflies, dormice, bats and other priority species.  

The local partnership works through a 5-year management plan to conserve the area’s character: restoring conifer plantations to native woodland or heathland; strengthening hedgebanks; expanding wet woodland and valley wetland habitats; improving water regulation and flood resilience; and maintaining the region’s sense of tranquility.  

For businesses, Blackdown Hills offers opportunities in sustainable agriculture and agro-ecology, woodland restoration and carbon-sequestration, water-catchment & quality management, nature-based flood mitigation, and biodiversity-led land-use, aligning with ESG, nature-recovery and community-resilience goals. 

Natural capital assets and opportunities

Here are the key landscape character features found in the Blackdown Hills that can form the base of exciting business project opportunities: 

• Woodland and heathland habitats: carbon storage, biodiversity, habitat for rare species, water regulation. 
• Hedged farmland, traditional and regenerative agriculture: food production, soil health, pollination, rural livelihoods. 
• Springs, streams and rivers flowing from greensand aquifer: clean water provision, sediment control, flood regulation. 
• Valley wetlands, mires and wet woodland: floodplain management, water purification, biodiversity support. 
• Cultural and historic landscape: ancient monuments, traditional buildings, sense of place and heritage, rural tourism potential.