A critical reflection of the development of biocultural heritage conservation and community based pr

A critical reflection of the development of biocultural heritage conservation and community based projects: a case study of Goonhilly Downs.

Figure 1: Dragons Teeth, locally quarried, being installed by Hazel and Tony on Goonhilly Downs to discourage illicit off-roaders. (Photo: Natural Lizard Facebook Page)

MNHP312 Dissertation by Jake Riding Marine and Natural History Photography BA(Hons) Falmouth University 2019/2022

A critical reflection of the development of biocultural heritage conservation and community based projects: a case study of Goonhilly Downs.

Jake Riding

Declaration This dissertation is my own unaided work and its length is 5980 words.

I confirm that the research and writing of this dissertation is entirely my own and I have not plagiarized any portion of this work. I have not worked with any other person inappropriately. I consent to this work being stored electronically for the purposes of use within plagiarism detection systems in order to check the integrity of the assessed work. I also consent to the digital file of this dissertation being retained for potential deposit in the Library of Falmouth University.

Signed:

Date: 16/11/2021 Jake Riding

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Table of Contents Introduction

4

Chapter 1.

5-9

Chapter 2.

10 - 15

Chapter 3.

16 - 20

Conclusion.

21

Bibliography.

22 - 24

Appendices.

25 - 40

Appendix 1: Interview with Morgan Ravine, Reserve Manager at Lizard National Nature Reserve.

25 - 27

Appendix 2: Interview with Sara Bowler and Lizzy Masterton from Goonhilly Village Green Project.

28 - 32

Appendix 3: Questionnaire Responses.

33 - 40

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Introduction This dissertation aims to critically explore the impact of the historical division between natural and cultural heritage conservation as a means of understanding the development of biocultural heritage conservation. Through this critical exploration a certain approach highlighted and explored in further depth which is borne out of the development of biocultural heritage conservation is community based conservation and this will be discussed through a project run at Goonhilly Downs in West Cornwall as a case study to explore this in more depth.

Chapter 1 outlines and critically explores definitions of both natural and cultural heritage in order to ascertain the different cultural and social meanings behind them. This is supported by primary research in the form of a questionnaire that aimed to gain insight into people's understandings of definitions of conservation as a way of supporting the inherent misunderstanding and lack of connection between the two, thus highlighting the inherent challenges that have been faced in heritage conservation practice.

Chapter 2 then introduces a case study of Goonhilly Downs, a 1,271 hectare national nature reserve on the Lizard Peninsula in South West Cornwall that is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) managed by Natural England. The aim of using Goonhilly Downs as a case study is to demonstrate the importance of biocultural conservation today, showing how both natural and cultural heritage are inexplicably linked, whilst exploring the meanings of conservation in more depth. Primary research in the form of an interview is carried out with Morgan Ravine at The Lizard National Nature Reserve and his responses are used to support the discussion within.

Chapter 3 then introduces the concept of community based conservation as a method of bridging the divide between natural and cultural heritage conservation and demonstrating an effective method for biocultural heritage conservation for the future, particularly with supporting and connecting local people with their surrounding environments. Community based projects present an alternative approach to more traditional paradigms of conservation and include linking the arts to the sciences as a mode of engaging local and new audiences in investing in heritage conservation, this is discussed and explored in chapter 3. Using Goonhilly Downs, Chapter 3 explores The Goonhilly Village Green Project as a unique case study for primary research which was a community based project that aimed to link conservation with arts based activities as a means of engagement with the local community. In order to support this discussion and case study, further primary research in the form of an interview by the curators of Goonhilly Village Green Project, Sara Bowler and Lizzy Masterton was carried out and their responses are used to inform the discussion further. The potential success of community based projects can be used to develop and promote a more enhanced, holistic and collaborative approach to biocultural heritage conservation.

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Chapter 1 Heritage conservation is a broad term used to describe two different subcategories of conservation that have historically been treated distinctly from one another and with relatively different values. These two subcategories are often referred to as natural and cultural heritage conservation. Both have historically developed different practices for conservation, which have subsequently used different governance, management and policy procedures. This has not only impacted the funding for both which may have disproportionately led to an imbalance in conservation efforts, but even in the present day where biocultural heritage conservation is a preferred term to encompass both, there has been a struggle to represent an emergence of the two fields, there are still apparent disparities that emerge.

UNESCO (2021) defines cultural heritage conservation as the activity relating to “...the domain of cultural property,” with the aim being to maintain these man-made objects and both their physical and cultural characteristics in order to ensure that their value is not diminished and to preserve these material objects beyond our own lifespans. Heritage21 (2021) an Australian heritage association discusses cultural heritage conservation proposing that it is aimed at safeguarding the ‘character-defining’ elements of a cultural resource to retain its heritage value and extend its physical life. Furthermore most of its definition of cultural heritage surround the discussion of preserving buildings, “...conservation does not simply mean freezing a ‘building’ in time but preserving and maintaining the valuable features of the building, favouring restoration over demolition.” Thus historically cultural heritage conservation is deeply ingrained in the association of tangible man made structures, more specifically buildings (Heritage21 2021).

By contrast to definitions of cultural heritage, the term ‘natural heritage’ refers to, “natural features, geological and physiographical formations and delineated areas that constitute the habitat of threatened species of animals and plants and natural sites of value from the point of view of science, conservation of natural beauty” (UNESCO 2021). The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment (2021) outlines a definition of natural heritage that describes how it relates to the components of the natural environment that have, “...aesthetic, historic, scientific or social significance or other special value for future generations as well as for the present community.”

However, natural heritage conservation from a global perspective may be different; geographically specific areas generally present differing definitions, e.g. by comparison to Australian landscapes, much of the geological history of Europe has been shaped through human activity and thus man’s connection to the land is more inextricable. Europe is renowned for its rich and diverse heritage from a combination of natural and cultural heritage which is one element that distinguishes it apart from other continents globally. The heritage of Europe can be attributed to thousands of years of history that has resulted from a very intricate mix of languages, traditions, cultures, costumes, values coupled with land-issues as two hundred

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years ago over 80% of the population of Europe lived off that land and this is reflected through the cultural heritage of those areas (European Commission 2019).

Harmon (2007:380) supports the idea that natural and cultural heritage conservation have historically been treated differently and attempts to explain why. He argues that there has been a long-standing rift between the social and biological sciences that accounts partially for this and has shaped how they are practised today, “In the field of protected areas, fundamental differences in outlook have contributed to an unproductive atmosphere in which seemingly endless rounds of criticisms are traded among disciplines.”

Lowenthal (2006) proposed over 15 years ago the importance of perceiving cultural and natural heritage as the same, “We receive communal legacies from two sources—the natural environment and the creations of human beings. To be sure, these inheritances everywhere commingle; no aspect of nature is impacted by human agency, no artefact devoid of environmental impression.”

Despite this coexistence, they have traditionally been dealt with independently and consequently quite differently. Although they share similar management, leaders and spokesmen, historically there has remained envy and rivalry amongst them (Lownethal, 2006).

Evan (2014) discusses heritage in a more complex way where it is clear to see the synergy between natural and cultural heritage, emphasising the intangible elements of cultural heritage “...the built historic environment, natural heritage or intangible culture such as stories, knowledge and practices that people and communities have amassed over the years.”

Through the use of primary research in the form of a questionnaire, social perceptions regarding the differences between natural and cultural heritage were explored. The survey was given to a random sample of people from different age ranges and backgrounds. A total of 26 participants responded. Interestingly, the overall results showed that people do not see natural and cultural heritage synonymous in any way and there were clearer and more consistent definitions provided for natural heritage compared to cultural heritage.

Definitions of natural cultural heritage included descriptions of plants, trees, flora, fauna land and geological areas without reference to people as part of this. For example, some of the responses included: “Trees and bushes and greenery” “Our geological history?”

“Habitats, biological and physiological environment?”

“Natural habitats of nature, threatened animals/plants.”

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”Relates to natural scenery, so in Cornwall that would be something like Kynance Cove” “Natural heritage refers to the sum total of the elements of biodiversity, including flora and fauna, ecosystems and geological structures.”

Figure 2: Looking up at trees (Photo: Jake Riding)

Responses to defining cultural heritage elicited a range of definitions that were at times ambiguous and more complex than natural heritage. There was some subtle indication that cultural heritage covered both land and people, traditions, values and human practices.

Definitions of cultural heritage included: “Cultural Heritage is an expression of the ways of living developed by a community and passed on from generation to generation, including customs, practices, places, objects, artistic expressions, and values.”

“Anything which represents something to a community.”

“Asset/item/theme which has strong links through the ages to a group of people/location.”

“Heritage that correlates to a particular culture.”

One of the other central questions within the survey asked respondents to prioritise investment into different conservation projects. Most respondents prioritised a nature reserve, justifying that preserving our biological habitats on earth were essential in helping to thus preserve everything Page 7

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else. This demonstrates a developed awareness of the global climate crisis that we currently face. But the paradox lies in knowing and understanding how to fix the world problems relating to climate change and many may argue that it starts with changing social perceptions about the natural world, taking responsibility for the natural world is linked to our understanding of how we are linked to it. If people see themselves as outside of the natural world there is arguably less motivation to the natural world.

Seeing nature as outside of ourselves is a common social perception. Research demonstrates how nature is seen as something ‘separate’ from humans. This has negative consequences in how motivated to preserve and maintain the natural environment around them. Lowenthal (2006) attempts to unravel the psychology behind our differing perceptions of both natural and cultural heritage by suggesting that they, “[...] nature seems essentially other than us ... unlike certain aboriginal and tribal peoples we seldom put ourselves in nature's place or project ourselves into non‐human lives. By contrast, cultural heritage promotes empathy [...] Our ancestral specificity imbues the human heritage with personal allure. However deeply we may love nature, most of us identify more easily with human relics and rise more readily to their defence.”

Lowenthal (2006) further adds to this point by suggesting that natural heritage cannot be exported, “...its value inherited almost wholly in its locale.” Thus it rarely features as a “calculable commodity.” He takes the distinction between natural and cultural heritage further, suggesting natural heritage cannot be moved or bought like a piece of ark work, hypothesising that if ecosystems could be bought like a relic of antiquity or work of art, then the commodification of it might raise value and thus society’s care and compassion for it. This is a sad unethical indictment of the world we live in.

The social need for belonging with humans is very much dependent on the relationship that natural and cultural heritage have, “This long-standing marriage of nature and culture that has shaped much of the European landscape we see today, and gives Europeans their sense of belonging and cultural identity” (European Commission 2019:2).

Past research has outlined the importance of learning from the experience and holistic worldviews of indigenous peoples and more recently the focus has been to promote approaches that are able to reconnect people with nature and, “...bridge the nature-culture divide” (IIED 2020). A way of taking a more holistic view is to explore traditional knowledge of communities, the landscapes surrounding them as well as the cultural and spiritual values, customary laws and languages of communities and cultures. This can be often achieved by harnessing indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ knowledge and skills and use these to support research and policy development (IIED 2020).

Mallarach (2021) argues that more recent developments in heritage conservation acknowledge the difficult historical positions of both natural and cultural heritage as being distinct from one another and believes by adopting a new paradigm this can help towards climate change

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amongst other things, “New directions in natural heritage conservation acknowledge conflicting relationships between societies and their environments, and seek to respond to impending global crises due to overconsumption of resources, climate change, and biodiversity extinction.”

Mallarach (2021) asserts that methodological changes include, “...advancing more holistic, natural-cultural approaches; recognising the role of governance in successful management strategies; integrating scientific and traditional knowledge in valuation processes and promoting rights-based approaches.”

This new understanding presents an alternative perspective and approach to Western models of conservation that separate people and nature. For instance, unlike the historical western concepts of conservation that refer to ‘ecosystem services’ and ‘nature-based solutions’, indigenous or local people and communities see their relationship with nature as reciprocal rather than linear. Biocultural heritage territories arise from indigenous and community traditions of landscape management (Krystyna 2020).

Human life depends on biodiversity, however biodiversity is being lost on our planet at an unprecedented rate. In 2021 world leaders gathered to agree new post-2020 targets to address biodiversity loss in the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Consequently, the argument of supporting biocultural heritage conservation is ever more pressing due to climate change and highlighting the advantages of it are very important.

The IIED (2020) recognises many important factors for biocultural heritage conservation, strengthening interconnections between cultural and natural heritage in policy and practice, fostering, “...integrated, cross-sectoral, and collaborative work between different government departments, institutions, and actors.” It defines, implements and monitors combined policies and practices for sustainable development and promotes interdisciplinary research to further understand the nature-culture dynamics, showing interlinkages.

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Chapter 2 A detailed case study of Goonhilly Downs and its approaches to biocultural heritage conservation The idea of biocultural heritage conservation is essential to support climate change and communities into the future. Within Cornwall there are many areas of biocultural heritage interest that are important areas to preserve for future generations. Goonhilly Downs is an area situated in the Lizard Peninsula that sits on top of an underlying Serpentine geology. Goonhilly Downs is a National Nature Reserve owned and managed by Natural England and run by Natural Lizard, it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest dating back to medieval times (Natural England 2021).

Sites of Special Scientific Interest were first established in 1949 and Goonhilly Downs is known to have been one by 1968.

Figure 3: Goonhilly Downs National Nature Reserve Entrance Map

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Figure 4: Map of The Lizard Peninsula outlining Goonhilly National Nature Reserve

Agricultural improvement of old pasture and heathland was a growing awareness in the late 1970s of the vulnerability of the environment. The Nature Conservancy Council established 100 acres of Nature Reserves on The Lizard Peninsula from 1976, later becoming The Lizard

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National Nature Reserve. Run by Natural Lizard, managed by Natural England. They are, “...the government’s adviser for the natural environment in England. We help to protect and restore our natural world.” Natural Lizard aims reflect those of Natural England which include: increasing biodiversity, carbon capture and public engagement.

Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station located on the edge of the Downs has more than 30 antennas and dishes in use. Antenna One, the first dish at Goonhilly, commonly known as Arthur, played a crucial role in historical events such as the Olympic Games, Muhammad Ali fights, 1985's Live Aid concert and the Apollo 11 Moon landing.

Figure 5: Goonhilly Earth Station. (Photo: Data Centre Dynamics Ltd)

Historical artefacts remain on the Downs, including a standing stone from the 10th Century.

Several bronze-age smallholdings seemingly abandoned in the late 1800s. The South Wheal Treasure engine house ruin; a failed copper mine from the 1820s. Moreover, the ruins of RAF Dry Tree, an early warning station for detecting enemy aircraft during the Second World War. Goonhilly Downs is “Designated as a protected Site of Special Scientific Interest for its rare and diverse plant and animal species, Goonhilly is a unique ancient landscape where the deep past intersects with deep space” (Goonhilly Village Green 2021). At the heart of Goonhilly Downs is the Dry Tree Menhir, otherwise known as the standing stone which marks the convergence of five of the parish boundaries within the area. Although Goonhilly itself has no central village,

“This special place, never truly inhabited by humans, bears witness to millions of years of history; from its rare serpentinite geology, through Bronze age barrows and trackways, subsistence farms and experimental forests to WW2 radar bases and the space age, where the first transatlantic television signals and pictures of the Moon landings were received at Goonhilly Earth Station” (Goonhilly Village Green 2021).

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The use of an interview as an additional form of primary research carried out with The Natural Lizard, in which they discussed their aims moving forward. These included: to increase carbon capture as part of their work, through planting trees, highlighting the role of scrub land and how the soil has a significant role in increasing carbon capture. They engage in initiatives such as allowing animals to graze in woodlands but at a reduced intensity.

Figure 6: Grazing ponies on Goonhilly Downs Nature Reserve (Photo: Jake Riding)

The Natural Lizard increases public engagement through community awareness and involvement through various different strategies developed (The Lizard England 2021).

Some of the challenges that they face in managing Goonhilly Downs include managing the size of the area against the number of staff that they are able to employ meaning they contract work out regularly with a lack of skills or equipment to complete jobs themselves as well as keeping on top of the infrastructure condition, relying on reports from landowners and local residents. It really is a community effort and this is an approach that should be taken in biocultural heritage conservation. Some of their plans to improve the efficiency of their work includes developing new ways to work effectively with landowners and organisations like the National Trust, Wildlife Trust and Trelowarren Estate so that they can look at managing the entire peninsula as one extensive nature reserve and increase connectivity through collaborative working practices (The Natural Lizard 2021).

Human engagement is not negated by the damage caused at Goonhilly Downs, The Natural Lizard supported this by saying,

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“We’re at an advantage here in that we are quite a long way from larger urban areas so the majority of people visiting the NNR later on or earlier in the day are local residents, birders etc out walking. We have very little anti-social behaviour on the NNR compared to sites I’ve worked at in the past nearer much more densely populated areas.”

Managing human activity in sites of biocultural heritage conservation does have its challenges but these can often be offset by the positive impact that education and awareness from those areas have on people that lead to long term engagement in conservation and especially to local communities in preserving and supporting the conservation of the area.

Closure of Goonhilly Earth Station to the public has eased pressure on that particular area of the nature reserve which highlights a problem with managing nature reserves and this is that the areas nearest an ‘attraction’ or easily accessible car park get ‘hammered’ with too many visitors for a small area to deal with. With regards to attracting visitors, The Natural Lizard attracts people to the nature reserve through an active social media presence to increase awareness about how much they do and raise their profile as they manage more land nationally than the National Trust does at 2000 hectares.

In recent decades there have been paradigm shifts in approaches to tackling conservation. One such paradigm shift is community-based conservation which is a movement that developed from the 1980s in a response to the negative impact that ‘top-down’ government led approaches were having on local communities. Knowledge that the communities could help to conserve the landscape using their own skills and experience, coupled with their values and needs was an emerging approach that disregarded the traditional idea that nature was separate from culture.

Many community led approaches began in developing countries and indigenous cultures such as Africa where there was an understanding that the survival of communities was dependent on the conservation of the local environment (Gezon 1997).

Community-based conservation is the concept that development of the community and conservation of the land and natural landscape that they inhabit can be simultaneously achieved; both of the interests can be served. This knowledge is a useful tool in developing new innovative strategies to support conservation in the future (Brooks et al 2012).

However, community development objectives are controversial because they are not necessarily consistent with conservation objectives in a given case and this is why they often present an ideal (Kellert et al 2000; Barret et al 2001 cited in Brooks et al 2012). Although in recent years, investment and greater efforts in community-based conservation have been increasingly improved. Other criticisms have been based around the failure of conservation in the community but failing have been due to implementation and management and recent efforts have been more successful through the efforts to streamline the once mixed objectives of community and conservation (Brooks et al 2012).

Nonetheless community-based approaches and approaches that are people-oriented are in part a reaction to the previous failures of traditional conservation. They are increasingly seen as a key to the success of conservation. The main premise on the emphasis of community as part of Page 14

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conservation is the idea that “if conservation and development could be simultaneously achieved, the interests of both could be served” (Murphree 2002:1). Thus over more recent decades, the old narrative of ‘fortress conservation’ has been largely displaced by the counter-narrative of, “...development through community conservation and sustainable use” (Murphree 2002:2). Biocultural heritage relates in part to many practices that form part of a community heritage such as performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, oral traditions and knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe. Organisations are still working to continuously develop a “...clearly established nexus between cultural diversity and biological diversity.” Based on the length of time the emergence of community-based conservation has been going on for, it appears that the definition is still under scrutiny (Bridgewater and Rotheram 2019).

Given the rich cultural heritage of Cornwall, it is one of few places that still remains within the UK where communities still thrive and continue to have a greater sense of belonging. Goonhilly Downs created a community-based conservation project to not only preserve the nature reserve for future generations but increase community engagement with the local landscape in a sensitive way. Chapter 3 will now focus on the Goonhilly Village Green Project which was a community-based conservation project.

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Chapter 3 Methods of community engagement to promote biocultural heritage conservation - case study on Goonhilly Village Green On reflection of the fact that community based projects provide strong evidence for a more successful, collaborative and effective solution moving forward in the future for biocultural heritage conservation, this chapter will now focus on a community based project that was executed at Goonhilly Downs called Goonhilly Village Green Project.

UNESCO (2021) outlines that community based projects are effective in using approaches that incorporate modern technologies that compliment traditional knowledge and practices. This is important for the future moving forward as embracing modernity within heritage conservation means that it is able to stay current and at the forefront of priorities for local communities.

Figure 7: Goonhilly Village Green (Photo: Goonhilly Village Green)

Community based projects also help to connect the diversity of local experiences as part of a knowledge base from which to build new practices on, this supports engagement from local people which in turn motivates them to invest time and care into the conservation of their homeland. As community projects encourage the use of creative and arts-based methods in order to help us understand the different cultural narratives attached to place and land as well as intangible cultural heritage values, it engages people on an emotional level and this degree of psychological connection to a local place increases the longevity of their investment to it (UNESCO 2021). Community projects also help to connect communities with their memories

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and experiences that not only have long term positive implications for helping to connect people for future conservation work, promoting community engagement, but it allows individuals to develop a stronger sense of belonging to place and space and in turn, personally invest in the heritage preservation of their surroundings (UNESCO 2021).

Finally, community based conservation projects foster participation as well as local leadership and advocacy as they take part in decision making processes which means that they adopt and implement inclusive governance models. This is a move away from more traditional ‘top-down’ approaches where national and local governments have made decisions and shaped policy from a detached position to the area which has not proven to have long term successful outcomes (UNESCO 2021).

Projects such as Goonhilly Village Green create effective approaches to understanding biocultural heritage. For example, This was an artist-led series of events on Goonhilly Downs that was started and executed by two artists, Sara Bowler and Elizabeth Masterton from 2015 to 2019. It was supported by funds from The Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund, FEAST, Ernest Cook Trust Environment & Sustainability Institute at the University of Exeter and the Elmgrant Trust, and in partnership with Natural England, GES Ltd, The Museum of Cornish Life, Trelowarren Estate, Lizard Outreach Trust and Goonhilly Heritage Society. The project brought people from the surrounding areas to Goonhilly Downs to explore the uniqueness of it as a place through a series of artist-led events and activities. The aim was to promote the free sharing of knowledge,”...from the scientific to the arcane…” where the programmes within the projects included “New site-specific art commissions, a programme of talks and workshops and outdoor learning activities for local schools, delivered in partnership with local organisations” (Goonhilly Village Green 2021).

In order to obtain knowledge about the processes and outcomes of the community based conservation project of Goonhilly Village Green, it was necessary to carry out primary research in the form of an interview with both Sara Bowler and Elizabeth Masterton who led the project in order to understand the premise behind it. When asked, “How did the Goonhilly Village Green project come about, what inspired you both to start it?” Masterton’s response was that her history working collaboratively with Bowler started in 2007 working on other artist-led events.

Alongside the inception of the concept, she explains how the government had an incentive to get more people exercising on their natural heritage sites and so were open to public facing activities. The project was also borne out of their connection with what is now Goonhilly Heritage Society, with ex-employee British Telecom participants who’d worked as the Earth station in the “...pioneering days of the early satellite experiments who wanted to share its technological, cultural and social history with others from the 1970s.” This clearly evidences the intangible cultural heritage aspects of people who want to pass on wisdom, knowledge and traditions to a place and space to others and therefore this project aimed to achieve this.

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Figure 8: Goonhilly Village Green Gathering Place (Photo: Artur Tixiliski / Stranger Collective)

Masterton highlighted that there was a real, “...community within a community with strong social bonds” many years ago which had since been lost. She explained how the site was a place that had an old sports field where employees and their families would literally gather for sports and social events, emphasising that amidst the heathland, the green stood out as, “...a perfect green sward.” The project’s aims are aligned with what UNESCO (2021) point out as important elements of community based work to support heritage conservation whereby they help to connect people’s memories and personal experiences with others which in turn help to connect people for future conservation work, allowing individuals to develop a stronger sense of belonging. The other connection with the past is that the land was once used as common land for the local community of people which was lost over the years and so the project aimed to create a, “...gentle exercise in bringing people back to that once common land.”

Mallarach (2021) argues that new concepts within biocultural heritage design need to build upon the, “...Full continuum of humans’ interactions with nature, ranging from areas set aside to preserve nature from significant direct intervention by humans; to biocultural landscapes, present holistic systems that have been shaped by human management over long periods of time.”

When asked, “What were your outcomes whilst doing it - were you there to inspire people into conservation of Goonhilly Downs, teach people about the downs or was it just merely for art?”

Bowler responded by saying that they knew about the sublime nature of the reserve and its

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potential for artistic investigation. Upon research about the place and its human and non-human narratives they realised it was a unique location that could unite and bring people together where they could share their understanding of the place. Bowler explained that the uniqueness of Goonhilly Downs to run a community project was based on the understanding that it was a place that was rich in diverse knowledge in that scientists and academic conducted experiments had a different ‘knowing’ of Goonhilly than other members of the public such as someone walking their dog there everyday, but that both experiences were equal parts of the narrative to be shared amongst local people.

As residents of the University of Exeter Environment and Sustainability Institute’s Creative Exchange programme which sought to bring about new creative collaborations between academics and artists, they created this project and devised a pilot event as part of the project with their primary creative collaborator Dr Caitlin Desilvey, now Director of Transdisciplinary Research at the University of Exeter whose research encompasses transitional places in a state of material change. After the pilot event in 2015, Bowler and Masterton then created a more extensive event in 2019 with workshops and activities which ran for months leading up to the main event. Six artists were placed with local host organisations who produced new commissioned works. Art has been a well established means of promoting and supporting biocultural conservation efforts in recent years and is part of a bigger more holistic approach to merging science with art and logic with emotion.

Jacobsen et al (2007) discussed at length in the Journal of Conservation Biology, the importance of emotion when establishing a loyal connection to places in aid of heritage conservation. They outline how emotions not only play a central role in the decisions that we make, but that when emotional input is added to learning experiences, it makes them more memorable and exciting. “The arts can help conservation practitioners reach new audiences” (Jaconbsen et al 2007:7). Furthermore, Jacobsen et al (2007:7) assert that a multidisciplinary approach is imperative in biocultural conservation, stating that, “Ideally, conservation education and outreach promotes interdisciplinary understanding of the natural and built environment through the sciences, arts and humanities.”

Activities as part of the event included outdoor learning for local primary school children, a free public event featuring artworks, talks, screenings, activities and performances. Bowler explains how the events were funded by Arts Council England and in 2019 we also received funding from Heritage Lottery Fund, The Ernest Cook Trust, FEAST and the Elmgrant Trust, with support in kind from many local organisations and businesses. She adds that fundraising was a huge and laborious task.

Both Bowler and Masterton emphasised just how successful the project was as measured by the enthusiasm of approximately 500 the people who attended the event. Masterton reflects on the specific elements of the project that were particularly successful,

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“A special and symbolic moment for the project was permission for the unlocking of the perimeter fence between the Earth Station and the Nature Reserve, allowing visitors to freely move between sites, which had not been possible since 1959.”

Practical challenges to community based events are worthy of consideration (Mallarach 2021).

Many of these practical challenges were highlighted by Bowler and Masterton when discussing the execution of their project, both explaining how they had to be mindful of the environmental sensitivity of the Nature Reserve, in relation to visitor access and numbers and timing of the events, “We had to plan our events around the horseshoe bat nesting season. Risk assessment included items like ‘adders’[....]much of the Earth Station site we were allowed to access was in disrepair and had to be cordoned off […] Accessibility for visitors was another consideration, the Nature Reserve is not wheelchair or buggy friendly […][and] completely off grid, so we had to bring our own power supply […] visitor parking was also a difficulty [...].”

Another important consideration was that sensitivity of the local landscape needs to be managed alongside visitors and regular events and the impact of human activity could have negative implications for places such as Goonhilly Downs. Masterton explains that, “We were very careful not to over program the days for this reason and we were very mindful of the ecological sensitivity of the site with increased numbers of visitors.” Buonincontri et al (2017) liken this to sustainable tourism as this is an area which has attracted wide interest from both practitioners and scholars. They explain that with increasing competition in the market, “....managers of heritage sites face growing challenges in striking a balance between consumption and conservation.” This is the same balance that is worthy of consideration and that presents challenges for similar community based projects, although, arguably local people’s familiarity and affiliation with a local place or space is likely to positively impact their sensitivity to that particular area (Buonincontri et al 2017) Bowler and Masterton explain how the community project was something that they hope will support future researchers and that they have ignited and inspired local people to learn about Goonhilly’s ecological and intangible heritage value, having compiled their own learning about the project on a special project website which the local people have been signposted to.

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Conclusion In conclusion, it was clear through the exploration of the historical development of both natural and cultural heritage conservation that the definitions seem to have both distinct and different meanings, and despite efforts to bridge the gap between the two through practice and policy, development and management, they still appear to exist. Social perceptions of this distinction between them both was also supported through questionnaire results where respondents appeared to have a much firmer understanding of what natural heritage conservation was as opposed to cultural heritage conservation. It appears that cultural heritage conservation has many meanings attached to it, both tangible and intangible and it perhaps is one of the contributory reasons for misunderstandings that occur.

In recent years, there has been a lot of research to demonstrate that biocultural heritage has developed a broader approach to knowing how to tackle conservation with the increasing understanding that there needs to be more emphasis on cultural elements and knowing how these are synonymous with natural conservation will encourage people to engage more. The broader implications of this point towards solutions for climate change so it is a very important issue.

Goonhilly Downs was used as a case study that highlighted the importance of biocultural heritage conservation, looking at a specific site and discussing responses from Natural Heritage England regarding the challenges faced in managing and developing effective approaches for the future. Goonhilly Village Green was used as a unique case study to explore in depth the positive outcomes of community based biocultural heritage conservation activities, with a focus on how the arts can play an important role in engaging new audiences and increasing community participation as well as supporting people in collaborative, multidisciplinary approaches share cultural narratives and increasing their affiliation with the shared natural environment around them.

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Bibliography List of Figures: Figure 1. Natural Lizard. ca. 2015. Dragons Teeth, locally quarried, being installed by Hazel and Tony on Goonhilly Downs to discourage illicit off-roaders. Dragon's Teeth, locally quarried, being installed by Hazel and Tony on Goonhilly Downs to discourage illicit off-roaders. [online] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/LinkingtheLizard/photos/461641180683937 [Accessed 17.11.21] Figure 2. Jake Riding. ca. 2021. Looking up at trees Figure 3. Dog Friendly Cornwall. ca. 2015. Goonhilly Downs National Nature Reserve Entrance Map. [online] Available at: https://dogfriendlycornwall.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/goonhilly-map-panel.jpg [Accessed 17.11.21] Figure 4. Cornwall County Council. ca. 2007. Map of The Lizard Peninsula outlining Goonhilly National Nature Reserve.

Figure 5. Data Centre Dynamics Ltd. ca. 2020. Goonhilly Earth Station. [online] Available at: https://media.datacenterdynamics.com/media/images/goonhilly_aerial.original.jpg [Accessed 18.11.21] Figure 6. Jake Riding. ca. 2021. Grazing ponies on Goonhilly Downs Nature Reserve Figure 7. Goonhilly Village Green. ca. 2019. Goonhilly Village Green. [online] Available at: https://goonhillyvillagegreen.org/#jp-carousel-1011 [Accessed 17.11.21] Figure 8. Artur Tixiliski. ca. 2019. Goonhilly Village Green Gathering Place [online] Available at: https://goonhillyvillagegreen.org/the-gathering/ [Accessed 17.11.21]

Reference List: AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, WATER AND THE ENVIRONMENT. 2007. 'Natural Heritage - Frequently Asked Questions'. [Online] Available at: https://www.awe.gov.au/parks-heritage/heritage/publications/natural-heritage-frequently-asked-q uestions. [Accessed 30.09.21].

BERKES, FIKRET. 2004. 'Rethinking Community-Based Conservation'. Conservation Biology, 18(3), 621-630.

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BRIDGEWATER, Peter, Ian D. ROTHERHAM and Ricardo ROZZI. 2019. 'A critical perspective on the concept of biocultural diversity and its emerging role in nature and heritage conservation'.

People and Nature (Hoboken, N.J.), 1(3), 291-304.

BUONINCONTRI, Piera., MARASCO, Alessandra., RAMKISSOON, Haywantee. 2017. ‘Visitors’ Experience, Place Attachment and Sustainable Behaviour at Cultural Heritage Sites: A Conceptual Framework.’ Sustainability (9) 1112 1-19.

CETAS, Elijah R. and Maï YASUÉ. 2017. 'A systematic review of motivational values and conservation success in and around protected areas'. Conservation Biology, 31(1), 203-212.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION. 2019. 'Natural and Cultural Heritage in Europe: Working together within the Natura 2000 network'. [Online] Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/management/pdf/Natural_and_Cultural_He ritage_report_2019_WEB.pdf [Accessed 15.09.21] EVAN, Martyn. 2014. 'Heritage Counts 2014: The Value and Impact of Heritage'. [Online] Available at: https://historicengland.org.uk/content/heritage-counts/pub/2014/value-impact-chapter-pdf/ [Accessed 20.09.21] GEZON, L. 1997. 'Institutional Structure and the Effectiveness of Integrated Conservation and Development Projects: Case Study from Madagascar'. Human Organization, 56(4), 462-470.

GOONHILLY VILLAGE GREEN. 2021. 'Goonhilly Village Green was Devised by Artists Sara Bowler and Elizabeth Masterton and Co-Produced by Curators Field Notes, with Amy Brocklehurst.'. [Online] Available at: https://goonhillyvillagegreen.org/about/. [Accessed 05.10.21].

HERITAGE21. 2021. 'What is Heritage Conservation?'. [Online] Available at: https://www.heritage21.com.au/owners-of-heritage-buildings/what-is-heritage-conservation/.

[Accessed 16.11.21].

HISTORIC ENGLAND. 2014. 'Heritage Counts 2014'. [Online] Available at: https://historicengland.org.uk/content/heritage-counts/pub/2014/value-impact-chapter-pdf/ [Accessed 03.09.21] JACOBSEN, Susan K., McDUFF, Mallory, D., MONROE, Martha, C. 2007. ‘Promoting Conservation through the Arts: Outreach for Hearts and Minds’. Conservation Biology. 21(1) 7-10.

KRYSTYNA, Swiderska. 2020. 'Biocultural Heritage Territories; Key to Halting Biodiversity Loss.'. [Online] Available at: https://www.iied.org/biocultural-heritage-territories-key-halting-biodiversity-loss. [Accessed 10.11.21].

LOWENTHAL, David. 2005. 'Natural and cultural heritage'. Null, 11(1), 81-92.

MALLARACH, J. M.. 2019a. Changing concepts and values in natural heritage conservation: a view from IUCN and UNESCO. [Online] Available at: https://www.getty.edu/publications/heritagemanagement/part-two/10/ [Accessed 08.09.21]

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SEOS. 2021. 'Remote Sensing of Natural Heritage Sites'. [Online] Available at: https://seos-project.eu/heritage-conservation/heritage-conservation-c03-p01.html. [Accessed 16.11.21].

USERO, Belén and Jesús ANGEL DEL BRÍO. 2011. 'Review of The 2009 UNESCO framework for cultural statistics'. Cultural Trends, 20(2), 193-197.

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Appendices: Appendix 1: Interview with Morgan Ravine, Reserve Manager at Lizard National Nature Reserve: What are the future plans for Goonhilly Downs Nature Reserve?

“The future plans really involve a continuation in the management practices to keep the SSSI within favourable condition. This is achieved through grazing (using both ponies and cattle as they both graze in different styles and habits) and small, managed burns.

The burns ensure a mixed age of Heather and open up bare patches which certain plant and herb species benefit from.”

What are the challenges maintaining the nature reserve?

“Lots! The sheer amount of land to start with combined with the relatively small number of staff mean we have to utilise local contractors for larger jobs such as big fencing projects or certain habitat creation projects e.g. we had a contractor in with a digger creating ponds and scrapes in a few areas in early spring which is something we don’t have the skills or equipment to do. Other challenges include simply keeping on top of infrastructure condition – it’s not practical or feasible to go out monthly and check the whole reserves gates and fences so to a certain extent we rely on reports from other landowners and local residents to keep on top of some of these issues. Another issue is being able to carry out enough wildlife monitoring to really understand what we have in what areas which we ought to be using to build into our management plans. For example, if we found good nightjar numbers in an area of heathland that was being fairly heavily grazed during the summer we would want to review that – grazing is obviously vital for lowland heathland management but too many grazing animals in an area good for ground nesting birds could be detrimental. I have a plan to try and expand our monitoring next year as this year I start in March and felt like it took a while to get up to speed! Another challenge is working better together with the other landowners and organisations like National Trust, Wildlife Trust, Trelowarren Estate etc to look at managing the entire peninsula as one extensive nature reserve, increasing connectivity, joint working etc.”

What can be done to attract more visitors?

“This is an interesting one as the coastal areas of the NNR are extremely popular, although I think the National Trust deal with the issues in this regard at places like Kynance and Lizard Point. Kennack Sands is our land and is heavily visited. The challenge is getting people to explore more of the inland areas of the NNR as, ultimately,

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many visitors to Cornwall come for the coastal experience. So I’m not sure how to answer that at the moment. Marie (who you have spoken with) has helped in her role as Visitor Warden in engaging with the public about the work that we do on the NNR but I don’t think that alone is the answer.”

Is having the nature reserve open to the public 24/7 healthy or does it create more damage than good?

“Overall I’d say healthy. I think we’re at an advantage here in that we are quite a long way from larger urban areas so the majority of people visiting the NNR later on or earlier in the day are local residents, birders etc out walking. We have very little anti-social behaviour on the NNR compared to sites I’ve worked at in the past nearer much more densely populated areas.”

What more do you think can be done to preserve the remaining historic artefacts that are on the nature reserve?

“The continued grazing regimes mean these areas aren’t choked with vegetation and brambles. There’s also a few areas that we take brushcutters to periodically to keep them visible and undamaged – around the old settlement near Kynance for example.”

How has the closure of Goonhilly Earth Station to the public affected the nature reserve?

“Although I wasn’t here when this happened, the rest of the team think it’s probably eased the pressure on that particularly area of the NNR. I think that is sometimes the problem managing nature reserves – the areas nearest an ‘attraction’ or easily accessible car park get hammered with too many visitors for a small area to deal with.”

How do you attract people to the nature reserve?

“Our new website and facebook pages are quite active now with posts and updates about the reserve. As previously mentioned, Marie our Visitor Warden is raising awareness for the work we do as an organisation (I think there’s a lot of common misconception that the National Trust manage all of the NNR but the area managed by NE is largest – around 2000 hectares).”

Does Natural England have restrictions in what you're able to do to maintain the nature reserve, and if so, how do you overcome this?

“Historically, restrictions have been because of lack of staff and funding. At present this is a bit less of an issue. Other ‘restrictions’ include the fact that much of the NNR is designated as SSSI or SAC, which means a landowner cannot do whatever they want

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with that land and are often tasked with maintaining the current state of the habitat or improving it to favourable status.”

What are your views on natural and cultural heritage, and the funding allocated to them?

“I’m unsure as to funding on cultural heritage personally as it’s not something I’ve dealt with yet as an NE employee. I’ve welcomed the increased NNR budgets this year in line with the governments Environment Bill and supposed greener ambitions… That has been very welcome but in my role I’m obviously a bit biased – more is needed for both cultural and natural heritage as going forward, looking after both is vital and will only help with increasing the public’s connection with the natural environment which is really what we should be trying to achieve.”

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Appendix 2: Interview with Sara Bowler and Lizzy Masterton from Goonhilly Village Green Project: So, how did the Goonhilly Village Green project come about, what inspired you both to start it?

“Sara Bowler, (artist and Co-Director of Goonhilly Village Green) and I began working together on Goonhilly in 2006-7 when we developed what became a series of artist-led events called Happidrome (https://happidrome.wordpress.com). At that time, Natural England, who manage the National Nature Reserve on Goonhilly, had been tasked by Government to get more people exercising on their sites! So they were very open to public facing activities.

Beginning with the first event in 2007, Happidrome grew into a series of four between 2007-10, organised around slightly different models, some were open events, others more to do with artists testing new works in response to the site or representing work in a new context. All of them utilised the old RAF Drytree radar buildings, with the main space being the ‘Happidrome’, the large radar receiver block. ‘Happidrome’ was what that building was called locally. I did a lot of historical research into the site and discovered that the name was in fact mis-applied; ‘Happidrome’ was a RAF nickname given to a different type of radar building which we think was in existence at RAF Treleaver down the road. However, we liked that that this fact had been colloquially blurred and redrawn through time and the name stuck. Goonhilly Village Green grew out of our experience of producing the Happidrome events and our continuing fascination with the site as we discovered more and more about it through our research and meeting people connected with the land.

The inspiration for Goonhilly Village Green came about through our connection with what is now the Goonhilly Heritage Society, a band of ex-British Telecom employees who had worked at Goonhilly Earth Station in the pioneering days of the early satellite experiments and wanted to share its technological, cultural and social history with others. The Earth Station back in the 1970s and 1980s was a real community within a community, with strong social bonds. On the site is what was the old sports field, where employees and their families used to gather for sports and social events. Amidst the rough heathland, it stands out as a perfect green sward, reminiscent of an archetypal village green. We thought how surreal and wonderful that was in this place which over 3000 years had pretty much resisted all attempts at human habitation. And so the idea of Goonhilly Village Green was born, a transient community which would only exist for a day, drawn to the locus of the Village Green (for security reasons, we weren’t able to use the BT field so our Village Green was an area of flat ground behind the Happidrome

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which was prepared for us by Natural England). Although Goonhilly has no village, it did used to be common land, with the rights that that entails for common benefit. At some point, as these rights were no longer exercised by commoners, the commons was cancelled and right reverted to the landowner. The Village Green was a gentle exercise in bringing people back to that once common land.”

What were your outcomes whilst doing it - were you there to inspire people into conservation of Goonhilly Downs, teach people about the downs or was it just merely for art?

“Initially, during Happidrome, we were just blown away by the surreal and sublime nature of the place and it’s potential as a site of artistic investigation. The more we found out about the site and its many human and non-human narratives, we realised what a unique location it was and that we wanted to share that with other people and find out about their understanding of Goonhilly. At the heart of Goonhilly Village Green was this generous and inclusive reading of place, based on the free sharing of knowledge. We realised that the scientist and academics conducting experiments there had a different ‘knowing’ of Goonhilly than someone walking their dog there every day, but that both experiences were equal parts of the narrative. In 2014 in preparation for the Pilot event, we were residents of the University of Exeter Environment and Sustainability Institute’s Creative Exchange programme which sought to bring about new creative collaborations between academics and artists. Our primary collaborator was Dr Caitlin Desilvey, now Director of Transdisciplinary Research at U of Exeter, whose research encompassing transitional places in a state of material change resonated strongly with Goonhilly.

There were two iterations of GVG, in 2015 and 2019. The first was a Pilot event which enabled us to test the format and begin to build relationships for the second event in 2019, which was more ambitious in terms of programming and included a Community Heritage Programme of talks, workshops and activities in the months leading up to the event. There were also 6 artists placed with local host organisations who produced new commissioned works. Both events had a two day format; the first day was a dedicated outdoor learning day on site for local primary school children, followed by a free public event the following day featuring artworks, talks, screenings, activities and performances. We collaborated with creative producers Field Notes to produce and deliver both events. Both events were funded by Arts Council England and in 2019 we also received funding from Heritage Lottery Fund, The Ernest Cook Trust, FEAST and the Elmgrant Trust, with support in kind from many local organisations and businesses.

Fundraising was a huge and laborious task.

Although the events were small (around 500 people on site throughout the day of the 2019 event, I think) we were absolutely astonished by people’s enthusiasm for the site.

Some had never visited Goonhilly before, others not for many decades. I think it is fair to say that those who have a special interest in the site notwithstanding, Goonhilly is a place that general visitors generally traverse at speed, in keeping with its folk history as

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a dangerous, desolate place of vagabonds and spirits. Our visitors ranged in age from under 1 to over 80. We had a number of student volunteers from Falmouth University.

One of my favourite moments from the Pilot event was seeing the BT retirees absorbed in an experimental film about musique concrète in the Happidrome. Some of them had worked in the Earth Station for 40 years and did not know that the building existed, having never explored ‘beyond the wire’ during their working lives. A special and symbolic moment for the project was permission for the unlocking of the perimeter fence between the Earth Station and the Nature Reserve, allowing visitors to freely move between sites, which had not been possible since 1959.”

Did you face any challenges whilst doing it there?

“There were many many challenges! We had to be mindful of the environmental sensitivity of the Nature Reserve, in terms of visitor access and numbers and timing of the events; for example we had to plan our events around the horseshoe bat nesting season. Risk assessment included items like ‘adders’, which most events don’t have to contend with. Much of the Earth Station site we were allowed to access was in disrepair and had to be cordoned off. Accessibility for visitors was another consideration as much of the Nature Reserve is not wheelchair or buggy friendly, though Natural England have created some accessible paths over the years. The Nature Reserve is completely off grid, so for the screenings in the Happidrome we had to bring our own power supply, which in GVG 2019 was supplied by a local renewable energy battery company (for Happidrome 4, power was supplied by an experimental mobile renewable energy unit commissioned by us and designed by a University of Exeter student, who subsequently went on to produce them for the MoD) Visitor parking was also a difficulty and we did agonise about how best to get visitors to site in the absence of a reliable public bus service.“

And do you have plans to do any future ones - or has the pandemic halted any future village greens?

“GVG 2015 was our Pilot event and a test for the main event in 2019. We have no plans to stage another Village Green event but we were so enthused by people’s desire for us to do so. I think there was an expectation that it would be an annual event but we have no desire to be festival organisers! The success of the events was that although they had a relaxed, festival like atmosphere, they were intimate and people had the space and time to explore at their own pace and for Goonhilly to work it’s magic; we were very careful not to over program the days for this reason and we were very mindful of the ecological sensitivity of the site with increased numbers of visitors. We hope the legacy of Goonhilly Village Green is that more people now know what a unique and special

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place Goonhilly is, that they were inspired to continue to experience and enjoy it and to recognise its ecological and intangible heritage value. We have compiled our own learning on the project website in ‘The Goonhilly Chronicle’ section, for future researchers.

Sara and I do plan to revisit the Happidrome model, with the learning we now have from producing GVG but this is in very early planning and there won’t be any public facing activities in the short term.”

I've noticed that during the project, the old WW2 station was opened up. Do you think it should always be opened to gain more attraction to Goonhilly Downs?

“The R-block is an attraction, of sorts, because of its size and the fact it is relatively intact. I think it sometimes gets broken into and used for raves! Over the years that we have worked with Natural England there have been a number of propositions for what it could be used for and if it could be ungated but I think all of them have come up against health and safety, cost and access issues, things we have have to address when we had used the building for events e.g escorting visitors by torchlight to prevent trip hazards, the list goes on! The main safety issue is the roof which I think is structurally unsound in part (in the area which is fenced off). It is an incredibly intriguing building, in part because it seems so alien and mysterious. I did once have the privilege to meet an ex-WAAF, aged 81, who was stationed in that building aged 18 and had a photographic memory of how it was all fitted out with the radar equipment and her working life there.

So there is the story of human use and now its continuing non human story as the building is reclaimed by nature, the story of insects, bats, swallows, lichens, ferns. I don’t think that opening the building itself would bring more general public to the Downs unless there was a more definitive proposition for its use i.e some kind of visitor centre and that would destroy its essential mutability, which is what makes its so alluring now.”

What do you think could be done to improve visitor attraction to Goonhilly Downs? If you even think there should be!..

“Goonhilly is never going to have mass appeal and that’s what makes it so special. It is too bleak for many, the weather is frequently harsh and the walking away from the main paths is hard going. There are also currently no visitor facilities (though I did see Natural England installing a new picnic bench by the car park recently). BT used to have a wonderfully cheesy Visitor Centre on the Earth Station which told the story of its telecommunications heritage and because the dishes physically dominate the Downs, that seemed to be the only story in town. What we wanted to do with Goonhilly Village Green was to tell some of the other stories of the Downs. In 2010, for Happidrome 4, Sara created a scale model of the Downs out of locally dug soil and vegetation onto which she added models of all the human activity she’d discovered during her research.

It spanned several thousand years, from placing the Neolithic Drytree Standing Stone to

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the 20th Century satellite dishes and 21st Century, wind turbines, creating a multi layered ‘taskscape’ evidencing human agency at the site. (https://happidrome.wordpress.com/2010/09/30/goonhilly-taskscape-2/) One of the most popular activities that we ran at both events was an archaeological tour of the site with local archaeologist Charlie Johns. I think a little bit of knowledge and an embodied experience helps fire the imagination. Guided walks are a good vehicle for this. Conventional ‘interpretation’ of the site will always be barren and unsatisfying. The SSSI status and rare species on the site could in the future be attractive to bio-cultural heritage visitors in a managed way, as specialised habitats sadly decline elsewhere. I am mindful however of the thoroughly depressing Stonehenge ‘experience’ and would hate to think of Goonhilly becoming an ecological theme park analogous to that. It’s interesting because people perceive Goonhilly as a natural wilderness but are unaware how heavily it is managed to support biodiversity and that without this human intervention, it would revert to scrub. So perhaps that also needs to be part of the story.”

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Appendix 3: Questionnaire Responses:

1) What do you think conservation heritage means? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Protecting areas of historical nature Conserving old areas/building etc. in a way that suits the time they're from Looking after historical sites, maintaining but not altering.

The conservation of heritage sites.

Preserving/protecting the environment and conserving wildlife. Planting of trees etc.

Reducing waste. Using renewable energy.

Preservation of previous conservation projects.

Looking after and upkeep of important sites Preserving historical sites?

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i have no idea Looking after important sites and preserving them.

Preservation of all that is significant to our history.

Like a place in your home like an indoor greenhouse that you have tea and cake with unwanted family members Preserving old buildings or historic land sites.

Preserving anything that is of historical importance or interest Not sure Preservation of heritage. Buildings etc Preserving ways of life, or at least elements of and symbols (like buildings) that are somewhat unique to an area the preservation of cultural property for the future I think it means helping to preserve things that are historically important.

History of conservation.

Conserving heritage.

Maintaining an asset in a way that keeps the historic value of it.

The ongoing process of protecting things for future generations Keeping past heritage sites preserved Maintaining an historic asset sympathetically without detracting from its importance

2) What do you think cultural heritage means? ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

History in relation to a specific culture, makes me think of traditions within a culture The history and time behind people's heritage (e.g. social customs, behaviours, ideas, art etc.)

Cultural Heritage is the history of a certain area Architecture, objects, intangible (craft, music, oral tradition), communal traditions of a set of people.

Customs and practices passed on through generations. Buildings, landmarks etc too.

Historical aspects of our culture.

Sites that are important to certain communities and their culture cultural historic things that go back generations? still no idea Anything which represents something to a community.

The same but for cultural reasons such as monuments or books.

Old ancient family members Documenting an area's habits and interests as diverse as language, food, music, games etc Preserving anything historical of importance that relates to culture such as buildings and monuments.

Heritage to do with what culture a family has been bought up with Legacy Passed down through generations ie inherited Traditions and deep seated ways of life

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Cultural Heritage is an expression of the ways of living developed by a community and passed on from generation to generation, including customs, practices, places, objects, artistic expressions, and values.

Cultural heritage is anything that is something that historically the local population has done regularly and still does ie the Obby Oss day at Padstow Archiving and maintaining cultural artifacts and history.

Ancestral or historic traditions, arts, foods, stories, language, buildings etc.

Asset/item/theme which has strong links through the ages to a group of people/location The history and customs of your culture Heritage that correlates to a particular culture Passing on values and traditions from generation to generation

3) What do you think natural heritage means? ● ● ● ●

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

History in relation to nature, makes me think of rocks type thing like stonehenge The natural history of a place History of an area that is mainly non inhabited Maybe unique semi-natural environments created by humans? Like the Lake District is both natural but also manmade, and has a cultural heritage in poetry, painting and national consciousness.

Habitats, biological and physiological environment?

The land we inhabit.

Things that have occurred in nature and are of particular importance or significance and should be protected Our geological history? nope A part of our environment which has resonance for the community.

THe past Trees and bushes and greenery No idea!

Preserving anything of historical interest that relates to the natural world Not sure Natural habitats of nature, threatened animals/ plants.

Species and landscapes that are historical to a region Natural heritage refers to the sum total of the elements of biodiversity, including flora and fauna, ecosystems and geological structures Relates to natural scenery, so in Cornwall that would be something like Kynance Cove The nature of the region preserved/maintained.

Significant areas of animal habitat or geological features. Areas of historic or scientific interest, including some man made landscapes like mines or China clay slag heaps.

The way land or culture has changed over time for a group of people/location Culture gained from your family and surroundings Heritage of nature Natural environment which may be significant for future generations

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A critical reflection of the development of biocultural heritage conservation and community based projects: a case study of Goonhilly Downs.

Jake Riding

4) You are working on the board of directors for a large conservation charity who have been faced with the decision of what to allocate financial resources (money) to.

There are two projects under the supervision and management of the charity that are worthy of receiving a new grant of £50,000 that you have recently received. One of the projects is to conserve a nature reserve. The nature reserve is of geological interest and much effort has been made to preserve the indigenous flora and fauna over the years to encourage wildlife and biodiversity. The site is not visited by people and does not make any money. The other project is a site that has an ancient castle which has been discovered on the site and the surrounding area has been excavated to reveal a number of man made objects which are of historical interest. ●

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I personally would want to allocate the money to the area that does not have any visitors, not everything needs to be about making money. However as director the obvious choice would be the site that has potential to make money and return investment.

The castle is probably the wiser choice - if you can get the castle to bring in money, then you can reinvest that money both in the preservation of the castle, and also to fund the nature reserve. The nature reserve is probably the right choice though - as ecological variety is slowly declining in this country. I would have to choose the castle, with the idea that profit made can be reinvested in other areas.

Would need further clarifying information on the decision criteria as both options are equally valid. Personally, i'd say the nature reserve but that is my own bias.

Nature reserve as biodiversity is more important that a castle From a very personal point of view I'd fund the nature reserve, considering the threat of loss of biodiversity and climate change. Without more information on the purpose and objectives of the charity I don't feel like I can make an informed decision, and there might be an option to fund the heritage site but insist on some protections and interpretation of the nature reserve, and use revenue generated from the car park/venue/shop to plough back into the nature reserve. Or vice versa, the funding for the nature reserve could include archaeological excavation to drive interest in the wider nature reserve, increasing visits.

2. Because people go there, it would be more worth while and better used The ancient castle because much effort has already been put into the conservation of the nature reserve and since nobody visits it, it should naturally continue to flourish.

Much can be learned from the way ancient cultures lived so the excavation could prove to be valuable.

Nature reserve, as it's more important ecologically.

The nature reserve because it does not make any money so may not be able to get funding otherwise. Efforts have already been put in to preserve the area and if the money is not given to them now it may be too late in the future to restore the site.

The nature reserve due to the impact on the environment although the castle would be interesting Page 36

A critical reflection of the development of biocultural heritage conservation and community based projects: a case study of Goonhilly Downs.

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Jake Riding

the nature reserve assuming it needs to money, the natural environment is under threat now, the archaeology can wait, its not going to go off or anything I would go with the castle, on the assumption that it is unique, whereas the flora and fauna are probably not.

Nature reserve - castles will come and go but when nature is gone - its gone.

Nature reserve is like madigascar so I’d pick it too see the animals It sounds as if the castle site is more recently excavated and is perhaps more in need of funds. It would be important to maintain the first project too even if it's not visited. Both are equally important.

The castle, as it will make more money which can then be invested into projects such as the nature reserve I would personally give the money to the nature reserve because its going to help wildlife Conserve a nature reserve.....preserve for future rather than discover more history The nature reserve, for that it has less chance of being preserved by some other organisation. The castle is a more glamorous proposition for a museum or a such like and could use it as a tourist attraction to help fund itself, where as the nature reserve is less protected from other development both.

The ancient castle would be where I would send money. The reason being is that if the nature reserve is not visited by people then it should continue to be undisturbed.

Nature/wildlife because once that's gone it's gone. The ancient castle can wait.

Partly depends on the goals of the charity, but I would allocate the money to the nature reserve, the loss of biodiversity would potentially be a bigger loss then the man made artifacts, as well are requiring more immediate attention. I would suggest that the money is used to create a visitor centre to generate sustainable income.

Fund the nature reserve. The nature reserve has huge benefits which cannot be expressly seen or valued - pollinators, local fauna diversity, climate effects. Though the castle would be an obvious choice tdue to the added income the nature reserve benefits a larger amount of creatures and these are often over looked for funding projects I personally love history but as much as history is important, and it is important to learn from our predecessors, I'd favour the nature reserve. Without protecting our environment there won't be anything left to protect, especially considering climate change. Also, in Cornwall, so much of our culture has been impacted by nature and our surroundings.

I would allocate the money to the historical castle as the public can benefit from learning the historical factors about it.

The natural reserve as it’s important to maintain and secure the environment for future generations

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A critical reflection of the development of biocultural heritage conservation and community based projects: a case study of Goonhilly Downs.

Jake Riding

5) With regards to allocating resources, both time and money, put these 4 conservation sites in order of importance and explain the reason for your answer:

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Not really sure to be honest. Importance is subjective, I have rated based on sites I would likely visit in order.

It's important history is preserved for later generations, but the value of biodiversity and natural land mustn't be overlooked. Castles are cool, but there are a lot of them. Nature reserves and ancient woodlands may house endangered species - whether that be animal, or plant. It's important these are protected.

Preserving the planet, ecosystem, diversity etc is more important to humans than our history/art. If the former goes then that latter are moot.

Natural environments are mainly sustainable I feel like a 1930s Lido could probably attract private investment to restore it or turn into flats, or office space. The castle will need funding to prevent more expensive costs in the future as it falls apart. Woodland and nature reserves will require less investment to be sustainable, but are key for biodiversity, climate change and public health.

This is a difficult decision. An ancient woodland should definitely be protected from human destruction. Also, an Art Deco 1930s lido as lidos are a rarity in the UK and part of our modern history (a particular interest of mine). Castles are important too, but we have quite a few of those!

Ecology should come first, to preserve the planet.

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A critical reflection of the development of biocultural heritage conservation and community based projects: a case study of Goonhilly Downs.

Jake Riding

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I think it is important to preserve the natural sites because they may provide a home to wildlife and if they are not maintained it would be hard to recreate them ● I would say all of these are important as they are heritage ● we should where possible preserve good examples of our built environment, but our natural environment is critical and irreplaceable, an ancient woodland is incredibly rare (in a UK context). ● A castle has a huge amount of significance and holds all manner of importance. The woodland is almost as important. ● Nature is important than any history bollox lol ● I’m not sure ● I'm going on the needs of the site to maintain it. The Lido is a 'fragile' site which I think would deteriorate fairly quickly without intervention whilst the 'natural' sites support current wildlife so I wouldn't want to put that at risk. A castle is going to deteriorate too but looks more robust than some of the other options. ● Nature is more important than man made monuments especially because of climate change we need to preserve the natural world ● I've given my top 2 because it's nature related and will have wildlife to also consider, although i absolutely love castles and think they should be reserved as well as possible ● Preference of helping future than preserving history ● The castle is most important in terms of time, to protect the history of the area and properly investigate it's story, and to keep it standing. The nature reserve and woodland are important, but being natural spaces should be managed with little interference. The lido ranks lowest since it is t necessarily so unique, and has other options for its preservation from a business ● all are important ● It’s a tough call, but a castle that has visitors should get money from them. The same as a lido. However you can’t really charge for a nature reserve or woodland, so they will probably need more public money than the others. ● Nature over people. Enough castles already! ● While possibly the most important, the ancient woodland is also the most able to look after itself if Humans left it alone! The lido is of significance, but could be capable of generating income. The lake is probably in need of most management to maintain the habitat. The castle is likely to require the biggest investment to maintain. ● Ancient woodland would take years to replace or rejuvenate. Natural resource are becoming more scarce, a castle is often more historic and the art deco lido is a fad from a specific spot in time ● History and art is crucial for culture but our eco system and environment has been around for centuries before us. So it's our responsibility to look after it for centuries to come. ● They're all landmarks that would be considered amazing to learn about for the historical factors. ● Maintaining historical buildings is important for generations to learn from and the environment should also be protected 10) Any further comments?

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A critical reflection of the development of biocultural heritage conservation and community based projects: a case study of Goonhilly Downs.

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Jake Riding

I feel like it's a false dichotomy to pit nature reserves against built heritage. Both have specific needs and requirements and objectives - but I might be overcomplicating it as I work in the arts and heritage sector!

Some tricky questions to answer for so many reasons. Good luck with your dissertation.

N/A You are amazing :) Going back to your question about natural culture, I guess it's about nature reserves etc.

Not sure if I understood the last question. I don't think you were asking for a priority order and yet saying which is more important is difficult because they're all important for different reasons.

No Save the planet. Save wildlife and nature first Nope

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