Sense of place through nature restoration

Sense of place is a term used to describe the attachment and meaning a person’s experience may lead them to have with a place. Habitat restoration across a landscape will change the identity of the place for people who live in the area.

Cumbria Connect is a landscape restoration project funded by the Endangered Landscapes and Seascapes programme.

Ongoing monitoring aims to track people's attachment to the local area, the variables which determine that attachment, and how that changes with Cumbria Connect's activities, such as the changing landscapes or engagement activities.

Conduct interviews with local people in the project area using the 'photo voice' method. Participants will talk through a series of their own chosen photos representing places important to them, places they dislike or see as problems and places that have changed (either positive or negative).

Interviews will be analysed qualitatively to assess what constitutes place attachment, considering the following themes: the factors that contribute to place attachment, including landscape characteristics, how people use and interact with the area, the meanings and emotions they associate with it, and the social connections it fosters.