Chapter 3. 16

“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.