MORE than six hectares of rare heathland habitat are set to be restored across the local area as part of work to create more space for nature and wildlife.
Lichfield District Council is carrying out the work at three of its own managed sites at Pipehill Crossroads, Ironstone Heath and Muckley Corner.
Work has already begun at some of the sites, including the removal of young trees and scrub revealing surviving heathland plants.
The initiative is set to continue in the coming months and years as part of a wider plan to ensure heathland can be restored and thrive.
Cllr Janice Silvester-Hall, cabinet member for visitor economy, ecology and climate change, said:
"Some of this work can look quite dramatic at first, particularly when trees and scrub are being cleared, but there is an important reason behind it.
"Heathland is an incredibly valuable and increasingly rare habitat. By carefully managing these sites, we can give the plants and wildlife that depend on it the opportunity to thrive again.
"It’s fantastic that we are already finding surviving heathland plants at Pipehill and over the coming years we should see these areas continue to develop and become richer habitats for wildlife."
The scale of the work also makes an important contribution to wider ambitions for nature recovery across Staffordshire.
The draft Staffordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy includes a target to create or restore 40 hectares of lowland heathland across the county.
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