Cornwall National Landscape secures over £1m investment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore nature, connect communities and build climate resilience.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund today announces that Cornwall National Landscape will receive more than £1million in development funding through its ambitious Landscape Connections initiative to revive and connect the UK’s most treasured landscapes.

Thanks to National Lottery players, Heritage Fund has awarded over £5million in development funding across five projects, with the potential for a further £42.6m in delivery grants to follow as plans are developed and tested over the next two years.

From restoring habitats and recovering peatlands damaged by wildfire to improving access to nature, supporting community stewardship and building resilience to climate change, the five projects represent the latest step in strengthening nature, heritage and communities across some of the UK’s most significant landscapes.

A £150 million, ten-year investment, Landscape Connections brings together farmers, landowners, communities and partners to restore nature and build resilience at a scale that matches the challenge. Across the five projects, that means peatland restoration, water and flood management, coastal resilience, species recovery and farmer-led, nature-positive land management, alongside empowering communities, improving access to nature and supporting more people to take an active role in caring for their local landscapes.

Cornwall National Landscape is uniquely spread across 12 separate geographical areas across the county. Its Landscape Connections project will focus on four of these sections, selected for their distinctive landscapes, ecological importance and potential for landscape-scale impact. Delivered in partnership with the National Trust, this ambitious eight-year initiative will address ongoing environmental pressures and demonstrate the benefits of coordinated action at scale.

The project will work across Hartland – Marsland to Menachurch Point, a remote and sparsely populated historic landscape of dramatic landforms and ancient woodlands; Pentire Point to Widemouth Tintagel, home to significant coastal heathland, wind-shaped woodlands and important grey seal breeding habitat; The Lizard, a diverse landscape of headlands, beaches, productive farmland, rare geological features and subtropical gardens; and Bodmin Moor, with its rugged tors, blanket bogs, wetlands and deeply wooded river valleys.

From fragmented habitats and degraded peatlands to visitor pressure and changing market forces, the challenges facing Cornwall’s landscapes are significant. The project will reverse decline through a coordinated programme that restores natural processes, reconnects culture and ecology, and equips people, particularly young people, to become stewards of change.

Stuart McLeod, Director of England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Our landscapes are facing unprecedented challenges, from climate change to biodiversity loss, and meeting them requires people to work together across boundaries. It’s thanks to National Lottery players that through our Landscape Connections initiative, the Heritage Fund’s helping foster new collaborations, bringing together landowners, farmers, communities and partners to restore nature and build resilience across some of the UK’s most treasured places.“

“The landscapes, habitats and natural environments we value are an important part of our shared heritage. Cornwall National Landscapes project demonstrates the ambition, innovation and partnership needed to secure the future of our landscapes. This development funding will lay the foundations for long-term, transformational change that will benefit both nature and people.”

Ian Marsh, Assistant Director for the National Trust in Cornwall, said: “The National Trust is delighted to be jointly leading this inspiring and hopeful project, which will bring people together to help deliver nature restoration at a landscape scale across Cornwall. By connecting communities, particularly young people, with the places around them through youth rangers, apprenticeships and conservation volunteering, the project will help inspire the next generation to care for nature while creating lasting benefits for wildlife, heritage and people across Cornwall.”

Peter Lefort, Chairperson, Cornwall National Landscape Partnership, said: “This is a landmark moment for the Cornwall National Landscape Partnership. At a time when our landscapes are under increasing pressure from climate change, biodiversity loss and social inequality, Heart of Natural Beauty represents a catalyst for positive action. This award from the National Lottery Heritage Fund recognises the urgency of these challenges, alongside the commitment and passion across our Partnership and local communities. Together, we have the opportunity to restore nature at scale, support farms to thrive, reconnect people with the landscapes they love and create a lasting legacy for future generations.”

Through Landscape Connections, The National Lottery Heritage Fund has already invested more than £2.7m in development funding across projects in the Solway Coast and Marine area, the North Pennines and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, with the potential for almost £25m in delivery funding to follow.
Since 1994, the Heritage Fund has awarded over £2.3bn of National Lottery and other funding to more than 5,300 land, nature and biodiversity projects across the UK. Landscape Connections builds on that track record and sits at the heart of Heritage 2033, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s 10-year strategy, alongside other initiatives such as Heritage Places and Nature Towns and Cities. Together, these programmes are helping places thrive while contributing to UK-wide ambitions to protect 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030 (30by30).