Lundy is an island of contrasts. The west of the island is open to the Atlantic and exposed to the worst of the wind, the pounding waves and salt spray. These sheer, bare sea cliffs are home to colonies of breeding seabirds including guillemots, shags and kittiwakes. Pink blankets of sea thrift cover the tops of the cliffs in spring and summer, where the thrift clearwing moth feeds on the plants. The purseweb spider, Britain's only member of the bird-eating spider family, also lives in burrows on these cliffs.

The centre of the island is a gentle plateau with moorland and heath in the north. Towards the west, where it is exposed to the wind, the heath takes an unusual 'waved' form, a habitat that is protected by European law. The heathland is rich in lichens, including the rare golden hair lichen. Elsewhere there are areas of grassland and heath, with some boggy areas where wetland plants, such as sundews, grow. Much of the south of the plateau is farmed. Rabbits and the rare Soay sheep graze much of the island and the Lundy pony, a rare breed, frequents the central plateau of the island.

The east of the island is more sheltered. The cliffs are not as sheer as those on the west coast, and they are lusher and greener, with displays of bluebells and foxgloves. Songbirds and sika deer shelter amongst shrubby vegetation, and wild goats browse the northern cliffs. The south-eastern cliffs are home to three species that are found nowhere else in the world: the Lundy cabbage, and two insects that feed on it - the Lundy cabbage flea beetle and the Lundy cabbage weevil. Another rare plant, the balm-leaved figwort, occurs on these south-eastern cliffs.