and 11 Feature: Friends of the Towans

Out on the Towans:

Looking after a very special landscape

by Martin Rule, Towans Ranger

Lying in an arc along the eastern edge of St Ives Bay are the famous ‘three miles of golden sands’ which make up the beach reaching from the Hayle River to Godrevy. Many people may not realise that immediately behind this beach is the second largest sand dune system in Cornwall.

Most of Cornwall is underlain by acidic granite, such as at Trencrom Hill, whereas on the Towans – Cornish for ‘dunes’– the land is alkaline, formed from calcareous shell sand. Many plants and animals occur here that are rarely found elsewhere in Cornwall. Indeed, although only 2% of Cornwall is sand dune, more than 20% of all the county’s plant species occur here! The Towans also support many thousands of silver-studded blue butterflies – in fact, this is one of the best sites in the UK for that species.

So we are incredibly blessed to have this important and rich wildlife habitat on our doorstep. Virtually the whole area is recognised for its wildlife value by being a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which basically means it’s a nationally-important wildlife site. This is a nature-equivalent of a cathedral, castle or Roman villa, if you like.

However, such areas do not sit there and look after themselves. Threats come in a range of forms such as the risk of built development, climate change, pressure from recreational use etc. One of the most significant threats is actually less obvious, as it relates to what is called ‘benign neglect’. In previous decades, much of the Towans would have been grazed by livestock – primarily cows and sheep. As these areas have become more visited by people for recreation, farmers have abandoned grazing.

This has led to the more vigorous woody vegetation – brambles, gorse, privet etc – expanding and growing over many of the more species-rich grassy areas, which contain the most important and scarcer flora and fauna.

Since 2015, I’ve been working with a local volunteer group, the Friends of the Towans, to carry out active conservation work to address this and other issues. Much of the work takes place in the autumn and winter when birds aren’t nesting and plants are dormant. This jolly gang can often be seen enjoying a bonfire while clearing back selected areas of vegetation.

These committed volunteers also carry out litter picks as well as enjoying guided walks looking at plants, insects, birds and archaeology throughout the year, so it’s an excellent way to meet new, like-minded people, as well as to learn more about the area.

Obviously, like everyone else, our activities have been somewhat impacted over the last 18 months by Covid. However, we did manage to run tasks and outings at the times when lockdowns were eased, sometimes meeting in two socially-distanced ‘bubbles’ to fit in with the government’s Rule of Six.

In recent months, we’ve been thinning gorse and ragwort at Godrevy Warren, clearing scrub and weeds at Mexico Towans, and restoring an old Cornish hedge at Gwithian Green.

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In fact, now seems like a very relevant and exciting time for us to be re-launching a full activity programme. Many people have discovered nature and our local outdoor places for the first time, or have had a fresh awakening of how important being close to nature is to their health and well-being. Providing people with an opportunity to meet this need locally, and to contribute something positive to the Cornish environment gives the Friends a really important role to play in our community.

The Friends meet several times a week, and new members are always welcomed along, so if you fancy giving this a go, email martinrule@talktalk.net, or look out for us around the Towans this autumn. If you spot our stunning new Friends of the Towans sail flags, you’ll know that we’re working nearby!