The Arnside/Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is a designated landscape of special importance, covering 75 sq km and straddling the boundary of Cumbria and Lancashire.

The Limestone geology and coastal aspect of the area sustains a complex mosaic of habitats, including many semi-natural ancient woodlands that are dominated with ash, oak and hazel.

This is a stronghold for many rare and protected species, with 15 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), including Gait Barrows National Nature Reserve. A number of endangered species are resident in the area such as the High Brown Fritillary butterfly, birds such as the Bittern and Marsh Harrier and the Lancastrian Whitebeam. This rich and diverse area is also home to half the flowering plants of the British Isles.

The Forestry Commission manages four woodland sites within the AONB, two of which are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and as Previous Ancient Woodland Sites. Here, non-native conifer plantations established in the 1950s and 60s, are being removed to restore the native woodland and other limestone features and habitats.

The extensive woodlands around Arnside Knott and Eaves Wood are owned and managed by the National Trust.