Lepe Estate is actively managed, under the supervision of Natural England, to preserve its outstanding scenic, scientific and historic importance. This work is financed from the Estate's own resources so visitors are asked to the respect the conservation status of the area.

The Estate is within

• the New Forest National Park
• the New Forest Countryside Character Area, and
• the Hampshire County Council West Solent Landscape Character Area.

The beach at Lepe is part of a much wider coastal habitat of national and international importance designated as the North Solent Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Natural England oversees the protection of SSSIs in England.

The North Solent SSSI has been designated as:

• a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the EU Habitats Directive
• a Special Protection Area (SPA) under the EU Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds, and
• a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention