Chichester Harbour National Landscape

Chichester Harbour National Landscape, a sheltered estuarine and coastal mosaic, delivers exceptional natural capital in marine habitat, saltmarsh, mudflat and hedged farmland that supports biodiversity, carbon sequestration, flood mitigation and sustainable recreation.

Its unique landscape underpins opportunities for ecotourism, blue carbon investment and nature-based solutions.  

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

Welcome to Chichester Harbour National Landscape 

Designated as a protected landscape in 1964 and rebranded in 2023 as a National Landscape, Chichester Harbour covers around 7,400 ha of interlinked sea, creeks, salt-marsh, farmland and woodlands.  

Characterised by its labyrinth of tidal channels (rithes), broad expanses of salt marsh, intertidal mudflats, wooded fringes and historic harbour villages, this landscape supports rich estuarine biodiversity, migratory birds and important fish nurseries. The surrounding farmlands, orchards, hedgerows and coastal woodlands add further ecological complexity and heritage value. 

For businesses, Chichester Harbour offers high-impact opportunities: investing in blue-carbon and wetland restoration, flood-risk management schemes, sustainable marine tourism, habitat connectivity, and community-linked nature recovery initiatives that deliver measurable environmental outcomes and strengthen climate and biodiversity commitments. 

Natural capital assets and opportunities

Here are the key project strands open to corporate backing, each delivering measurable impact and tailored to your goals: 

• Marine and tidal creek systems: nursery habitat, biodiversity, blue-carbon ecosystems. 
• Saltmarsh and mudflats: coastal flood resilience, carbon storage, bird habitat. 
• Woodland and scrub fringes: carbon sequestration, shelter, biodiversity corridors. 
• Hedged farmland and orchards: regenerative agriculture, soil health, local produce. 
• Sustainable recreation & heritage: tourism, wellbeing, community engagement.