The Natural Beauty Series: Part 5 – Natural Heritage

This article is the fifth part of our featured series on Natural Beauty and explores the concept of Natural Heritage, one of the recognised factors contributing to Natural Beauty (as identified by Natural England, Statutory Body for all National Landscapes).

Our natural heritage refers to natural features, including  geological and physiographical formations as well as plants, animals and their habitats.  There is variety in natural heritage across the 12 sections of the Cornwall National landscape and they influence our experience of place and our perception of natural beauty.

Cornwall is a peninsula extending out into the Atlantic; its ecology is intimately bound with the sea and a maritime climate of cool summers, mild winters, strong salty winds and above average rainfall, influenced by the gulf stream.  It therefore boasts a varied geology, diverse soils and a wide range of habitats and species. Consequently, many areas are nationally and globally important conservation sites. Cornwall hosts diverse habitats shaped by our history, which make Cornwall a special and unique place. From rugged granite coasts to lush estuaries and parklands, to open moors punctuated by prehistoric monuments and mine engine houses, the National Landscape encapsulates remarkable variety in its habitats.

There are few places which highlight the importance of natural heritage to our appreciation of Natural Beauty better than the Lizard peninsula.  This area is famed for its rich and distinctive natural heritage which contributes significantly to the special qualities of this particular section of the Cornwall National Landscape.

The geological variations of the Lizard peninsula have resulted in complex landforms; inland of Gunwalloe and Mullion Cove there is a soft, undulating landscape spread over Devonian rocks with farmsteads and small hamlets interspersed with streams which reach the coast at Church Cove and Poldhu Cove. There are small pockets of woodlands on farms and these become more extensive north-eastwards to the head of the Helford Estuary. The elevated south west plateau of the Lizard Peninsula is underlain with serpentine as can be seen from the outcrops at Kynance Cove. The landform to the east falls gently on the gabbro and hornblende schists toward the coast and is permeated with small streams, which have formed sheltered valleys along weaknesses in the rock.

The combination of geology, mild oceanic climate conditions and its southerly location has led to the development of a unique range of habitats with many rare species of local and national importance. Over 250 species of national and international importance are found here – many of which are found only in this region of Britain. There are significant areas of heathland/plateau rough ground across Goonhilly Downs and on the west coast that are critically important from both historic and biodiversity perspectives.  National Nature Reserves give recognition to the very best sites for wildlife. The Lizard National Nature Reserve stretches across nearly 2,000 hectares of the peninsula. The heathland, coastal cliff vegetation and temporary ponds are of international importance and accommodate a broad diversity of wildlife which thrives here, including especially rare and unusual plants. The wild, open nature of these expansive habitats is emphasised by the lack of tree cover with the exception of those found in the sheltered valleys and coves.

The Lizard Peninsula is a distinctive landscape of outstanding nature conservation interest, but the contribution of natural heritage to our appreciation of Natural Beauty is experienced in a variety of settings and scales.  You don’t have to journey far within our unique peninsula to experience this.  What elements of natural heritage impact on your experience of our National Landscape?

This article was written by Louise Barattini, Planning Officer, Cornwall National Landscape team & Tamar Valley National landscape team.

This article was published in The West Britton, The Cornish Guardian and The Cornishman.