Chapter 2. 10

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.

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

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.

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

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,