Brighton and Lewes Downs Biosphere: The Living Coast

The Living Coast embraces a wonderfully biodiverse stretch of the chalky South Downs and Sussex coast between the River Adur at Shoreham-by-Sea and the River Ouse at Newhaven and includes the vibrant city of Brighton & Hove and the historic town of Lewes. As the only UNESCO designated site in Sussex, this is a place where people connect with nature and live well together, enjoying, celebrating and reinvigorating the natural wonders of our shared home.

Key Information

Counties:
Sussex
Year of Inscription:
2014
Link to Website:
thelivingcoast.org.uk

What makes this UNESCO Designation special?

Within The Living Coast, the chalk grasslands of the South Downs National Park meet the English Channel. This chalk block extends beneath the shingle beaches and the waves into the rare chalk reef of a Marine Conservation Zone. These geological features make The Living Coast a remarkably biodiverse region.

Accross this beautiful landscape in the heart of Sussex, chalk grasslands, dry chalk valleys, floodplain meadows, vegetated shingle beaches, river estuaries and chalk reefs are home to thousands of species, among them rare plants and wildlife. Gems as varied as the Adonis blue butterfly and the shy short-snouted seahorse, the early spider orchid and the skilful hovering skylark.

Of the 700+ UNESCO Biospheres worldwide, The Living Coast is one of a handful that includes a large urban area - Brighton & Hove. This gives The Living Coast an outstanding opportunity to support projects that pioneer ways to balance the daily needs of people and nature.

In everything The Living Coast does there’s a focus on learning how people and nature can flourish together for generations to come.

Brighton and Lewes Downs Biosphere Factsheet 2024
08 May 2025
Brighton and Lewes Downs (The Living Coast) UNESCO Biosphere's 'Our City, Our World' environmental education programme leads the way

The 'Our City, Our World' climate change, sustainability, and environmental education programme co-led by Brighton and Lewes Downs (The Living Coast)…

24 April 2025
UNESCO Biosphere Youth Network meets for the first time at the UKMAB Annual Gathering in The Living Coast UNESCO Biosphere

The 2025 UK Man and the Biosphere (UKMAB) Annual Meeting, hosted by The Living Coast UNESCO Biosphere, marked a significant milestone for youth involvement in UNESCO Biosphere Reserves.

01 April 2025
World-renowned chef and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for biodiversity visits Brighton and Lewes Downs (The Living Coast) Biosphere

At the end of March, Mauro Colagreco - UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for biodiversity and Michelin-starred chef - visited the Brighton and Lewes Downs (The Living Coast)…

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This website was produced by the UK National Commission for UNESCO as part of its Local to Global programme, made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players.