Landscape conservation

"The impressive valleys created by the waters of the Tamar, Tavy, Lynher and Plym combine to form one of the most dramatic landscapes of the South West"

The rivers are an intrinsic and valuable component of the landscapes of Cornwall and Devon, and a consistent feature from the plunging and exposed sea cliffs of South Devon and the Rame Peninsula, to the rolling valleys of the upper estuaries and wild Dartmoor.

The Tamar estuaries are notable in the extent of their naturalness and the beauty that such a variety of land and water-scapes offer. In recognition to the value of these landscapes national and regional designations have been afforded to the estuaries in order to enhance and conserve such landscape assets.

The Tamar Estuaries are a ria, which means a river valley that flooded during the rise in sea level after the last great ice age approximately 10,000 years ago. The gradual inundation of the land by the sea and many geological events and periods have left a distinct environment.

The estuaries are particularly significant in this respect for a number of physical features including extensive bedrock in the upper reaches, rich sediments extending many tens of feet down in to bedrock and areas of geology that are of national interest. In addition the estuaries southerly location and relatively mild climate coupled with the influence of warm Mediterranean currents means that plants and animals more typical of warmer waters and climates can survive and flourish.

Special features

• Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) comprise areas of high scenic quality and such quality is reflected in The Tamar Valley, Lower Lynher Valley, South Devon and the Rame Peninsula which are all designated as AONB
• Wembury is part of the South Hams Heritage Coast and a section from Kingsand to the beginning of Whitsand Bay is also Heritage Coast, being defined as "lengths of outstanding and largely undeveloped coastal scenery which are of national significance for their landscape and amenity"
• The upper Lynher Valley, South East Caradon and the Plym Valley are designated AGLVs or Areas of Great Landscape Valve for their landscape beauty
• Coastal Preservation Areas have been designated to protect the areas character, Wembury, Bovisand Beach and Jennycliff Bay lie within a designated area

[Back to top]