Isles of Scilly National Landscape

The Isles of Scilly National Landscape is a tiny yet extraordinary archipelago off the Cornish coast, combining dramatic granite coastlines, sandy bays and maritime heath with crystal-clear seas and rare endemic species.

With its rich natural-capital and heritage value, this archipelago offers compelling opportunities for marine, biodiversity, regenerative land and community-based investment.  

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

Welcome to the Isles of Scilly National Landscape 

The Isles of Scilly are England’s only archipelago designated as a National Landscape (formerly AONB), covering all 200+ islands and rocks (with only five inhabited).

Here, a tiny population lives woven into a landscape shaped by 6,000+ years of human habitation and strong natural forces. Granite headlands, shifting dunes, saline lagoons, maritime heath, lowland pasture, hedged bulb-fields, and scattered rural settlements bear testimony to a history of farming, fishing and island life.  

Under its management plan, the Isles of Scilly National Landscape partnership focuses on safeguarding and restoring marine and terrestrial habitats, protecting biodiversity, sustaining traditional land uses (flower farming, low-impact agriculture), promoting sustainable tourism, and conserving a dense archaeological and cultural heritage.  

For businesses, this archipelago represents a powerful “living lab” for landscape-scale, integrated nature recovery, marine conservation, regenerative agriculture and sustainable tourism.

Investment here can deliver multiple benefits: carbon sequestration, coastal resilience, marine-habitat protection, biodiversity enhancement, community resilience, and unique heritage-led experiences that support ESG, biodiversity and climate objectives. 

Natural capital assets and opportunities

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

• Marine and coastal habitats: seagrass beds, reefs, intertidal sand/mudflats, subtidal zones: supporting marine biodiversity, carbon sequestration, sustainable fisheries, carbon-rich blue-carbon potential and coastal resilience. 
• Maritime heathland, dunes, grassland and coastal cliffs: rare flora and fauna, habitat for endemic species, pollination, ecological resilience and landscape diversity.  
• Low-impact agriculture, bulb-fields and pasture shaped by traditional farming: supporting regenerative agriculture, soil health, local produce, and sustainable livelihoods.  
• Cultural & archaeological heritage: with among the highest density of Scheduled Monuments in the UK, delivering heritage value, educational and tourism potential, community identity and place-based cultural capital.  
• Clean, remote landscape and seascape: providing a unique sense of place, wellbeing, recreation, sustainable tourism and long-term value for nature-based and heritage-based investments.