Needs: Nature restoration, natural capital and ecotourism strategy
Landscape Characteristics: Upland; Wetland, moorland
Nestling on the Cornwall moors, Helman Tor is a site where natural regeneration has already worked wonders, transforming the waterlogged soils into a complex swamp of willow and birch, with some areas so wet that you can drop to your waist as frogs scatter in your wake. However, Helman Tor would, centuries ago, have been shaped by wetland cattle (aurochs) and the primary engineer of these complex bog-woodlands would have been the most powerful landscape architect of all: the beaver.
Vision: To reinstate lost mosaic habitat to this SSSI by reintroducing keystone species, rather than traditional and expensive scrub-cutting techniques to produce a more complex, open and sunlit ecosystem. Butterfly species like marsh fritillaries will find their new, or rather, original niches in which to thrive, alongside many new outcome. Ecotourism plans for a visitor centre with holiday lets and glamping alongside plans for natural capital income generation were also included