What we do

Most of our land is open to the public at all times, but we keep some areas closed to protect seal haul-out sites and breeding seabirds. We keep over 80km (50 miles) of paths open, to make sure we can all enjoy our beautiful landscape, our unique wildlife and our cultural heritage.

On Scilly, we are renowned for our archaeology. We have a greater density of Scheduled Monuments than anywhere else in the country, with the Bronze Age and Civil War remains being particularly well-represented. We work with Historic England and the Isles of Scilly Museum Association to preserve these.

The Isles of Scilly are defined by the sea, and one of the world’s richest places for marine wildlife. The Trust is working increasingly with partners to make sure our marine wildlife is protected and appreciated. We also have responsibility for most of Scilly’s beaches and other intertidal land, which means we are involved with everything from wildlife strandings to the scourge of marine plastic. We also respond to environmental crises where possible, including in 2022 leading on the Isles of Scilly's community response to Bird Flu and an oil spill at Porthloo pond.

We take a lead in ensuring that environmental sustainability is to the fore in Scilly. The exceptional qualities of the Isles of Scilly are wonderfully reflected by the National Landscape (previously AONB) designation. We are very proud to be the delivery partner for the IoS NL We are members of the Islands' Partnership, working with them to make sure that tourism in Scilly has the minimum of impact and promoting the islands as a prime destination for wildlife watching.

We treasure our role as part of the community of local residents and passionate visitors who all love Scilly. We want everyone to enjoy our wildlife and landscape. It’s vital to us that we do all we can to inspire, encourage and support people to play their part in Keeping Scilly Special.