Landscape Connections Cornwall: The Heart of Natural Beauty
About
We’ve mapped Cornwall National Landscape’s 12 unique sections, creating tools that unlock their stories, reveal opportunities, and reflect the needs of the people who care for them.
Aim
To connect people, place, nature, and climate through digital innovation, amplifying voices and protecting Cornwall’s natural and cultural heritage.
Explore Cornwall National Landscape
Our new data hub brings together mapping and place-based insights, to tell the story of Cornwall National Landscape. From heritage at risk to climate impacts, the hub combines a range of important data sets in a free, easy-to-use online tool.
12 sections StoryMaps
ArcGIS StoryMaps combine text, images, and maps to tell a story, making it even easier to explore the data story of your local landscape. We’ve created 12 StoryMaps that tell the data story of each of the 12 unique sections of Cornwall National Landscape.
Cornwall National Landscape mapping
Our new mapping tool brings together a range of the most up-to-date local and national datasets, with options to view and overlay mapping data on people and communities, landscape and heritage, climate and nature, and even make your own custom map.
Landscape Connections Cornwall: The Heart of Natural Beauty is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery players. The National Lottery Heritage Fund is investing £150million over 10 years to support large-scale projects that revive landscapes, support nature recovery and enhance the connections between people and wildlife across the UK.
Project Overview
We’ve gathered data on landscape character, biodiversity, heritage, and local needs, and translated this into an interactive ArcGIS data hub. The hub will help make hidden connections visible, communities shape priorities, and guide future action across Cornwall.
We’re delighted that The National Lottery Heritage Fund has announced 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. From restoring habitats and recovering peatlands damaged by wildfire to improving access to nature, supporting community stewardship and building resilience to climate change, the next phase of Landscape Connections Cornwall: The Heart of Natural Beauty represents the latest step in strengthening nature, heritage and communities across some of the UK’s most significant landscapes.
All this work is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we are taking a vital step toward unlocking the full potential of Cornwall’s landscapes.
Aims – Goals & Objectives
Landscape Connections Cornwall: The Heart of Natural Beauty project sets out to strengthen the bond between people, place, nature, and climate across Cornwall. By combining local knowledge with innovative digital tools, we aim to create a shared understanding of our landscapes and empower communities to shape their future.
Build a strong evidence base
Gather and map data across all 12 sections to reveal landscape character, biodiversity, and community needs.
Amplify local voices
Ensure communities, farmers, and partners are central to shaping priorities and influencing decisions.
Create innovative digital tools
Develop StoryMaps and interactive dashboards that unlock connections, guide action, and inspire engagement.
Protect and celebrate heritage
Safeguard Cornwall’s fragile natural and cultural assets while sharing their stories with wider audiences.
Lay foundations for future action
Set the stage for long-term collaboration and resilience, aligning with national strategies and The National Lottery Heritage Fund ambitions.
Benefits
Our Primary Purpose is to conserve and enhance Natural Beauty.
Our priority is to lead and support projects which deliver under these four key categories.
People
We will strengthen wellbeing by helping people feel more connected to their landscapes and each other, fostering pride, learning, and opportunities to take part.
Place
We will celebrate the unique character and heritage of each section, ensuring every place has a voice and its story is recognised and valued.
Nature
We will restore and protect natural habitats, using data to guide recovery and ensuring Cornwall’s biodiversity can flourish.
Climate
We will contribute to climate resilience, supporting sustainable land use and nature-based solutions that help Cornwall adapt and thrive into the future.
Project Detail
Landscape Connections Cornwall: The Heart of Natural Beauty is bringing together Cornwall National Landscape’s 12 unique sections, creating new tools, insights, and opportunities for communities and nature to thrive.
Images
Landscape Connections Cornwall: The Heart of Natural Beauty is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we are laying the groundwork for long-term action. The goal is simple but powerful: resilient landscapes where people, place, nature, and climate are in harmony.
Stuart McLeod, Director of England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We’re delighted to support Cornwall National Landscape in launching Landscape Connections Cornwall: The Heart of Natural Beauty. The project will bring people together to celebrate and protect the heritage that makes this landscape so special. Thanks to National Lottery players, more people will be able to connect with the natural heritage on their doorstep.”
Support Us
But we need your help…
Community training
Helping communities discover their local landscape
Our community training sessions have helped local groups and organisations discover the data story of their local landscape. From heritage at risk, to nature and people and communities, our online hub helps people easily access the most up-to-date local and national data. The hub can help groups inform projects and local priorities, provide robust evidence for funding applications and increase knowledge about local challenges and opportunities.
Positive change for people, place, nature and climate
We'll develop new projects where they're most needed
This phase of our work is not just about gathering data on our landscapes, it is about connecting with the people making real changes in the landscapes that matter to them. By joining together, we can share goals, maximise effort and ensure meaningful and long lasting benefit for people, place, nature and climate.
Making connections
Linking trusted local voices
Cornwall National Landscape is the only National Landscape made up of 12 sections and each one is unique and special. We’ll connect organisations. landowners and communities in each of our 12 sections, working together to identify local need, amplify community voices and enable positive change in the landscapes we love.
Picturing our landscape
New infographics tell the story of the landscape in an accessible way
Data can be tricky to understand. We’ve worked with a local design agency to produce a set of infographics, that present key data about our sections in a visually appealing way. We’ll be adding these graphics to our website soon.
Locating Tranquillity
Research with Falmouth University
Tranquillity is one of the recognised factors contributing to Natural Beauty, as identified by Natural England – the organisation responsible for designating National Landscapes. A deeper understanding of Natural Beauty and tranquillity will inform our work to conserve and enhance our special places.
The research at Falmouth University was jointly led by its Research Centre for Heritage, Culture & Society and Arts & Health, as part of a programme of work exploring connections between health, creativity, culture & heritage, and rural landscapes.
Previous research has captured a national picture but our new research, including new primary data, has given us local insight.
State of the AONB report
A resource for researchers
The State of the AONB Report gives an up-to-date picture of the current health of Cornwall National Landscape and informs our Management Plan. Previous versions have been produced as PDFs but we are replacing this format for 2025/6 with a more dynamic, interactive digital version created in ARCGIS, as an output of Landscape Connections Cornwall: Heart of Natural Beauty, enabling better and more intuitive access to the data. By harnessing the power of this data, we can manage Cornwall National Landscape to enhance the qualities that make it special and increase benefits people, place, nature and climate.