The Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – spanning the border of Somerset and Devon – will be conserved thanks to a £2m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Landscape Partnership Scheme.

The £3m Neroche Scheme – a package of 23 separate projects – proposes to develop a number of long-distance trails complete with information posts to encourage more people to discover and enjoy the 35sq m (90sq km) area.

Wildlife habitats in the public forest will also be improved through more cautious felling and less intensive cattle grazing. In addition, archaeological features, such as Castle Neroche, will be conserved.

The project will also train apprentices in land management skills, help landowners work together to share skills and knowledge of the land and launch ‘forest schools’ and ‘health walks’ for schools and the general public.

The three-year programme of work – under the direction of the Forestry Commission – will begin in October, with completion expected by late 2009.

The remaining £1m investment will come from Somerset and Devon County Councils, Mid Devon, Taunton Deane and South Somerset District Councils, the Blackdown Hills AONB, English Nature, the National Trust and the Blackdown Hills LEADER+ programme. Details: www.forestry.gov.uk