REPRESENTATIVES will visit Okehampton later this month to discuss a new nature zone.

The idea is to create wildlife havens, restore habitats and encourage local people to get involved with nature.

The Northern Devon Nature Improvement Area (NIA) covers a 72,000 hectare area that includes Okehampton, Hatherleigh and Winkleigh.

NIAs are large, discrete areas that will deliver a step change in nature conservation, where a local partnership has a shared vision for their natural environment.

The Northern Devon area hosts 35% of the UK's remaining Culm grassland, 120 scheduled plants and animals, and important populations of two of Europe's ten most threatened species — the marsh fritillary butterfly and the freshwater pearl mussel.

It also includes wooded lower valleys that cocoon the River Torridge, itself a feature of great biodiversity interest, but in much need of restoration.

Over the next three years and beyond, the NIA project aims to restore and re-create internationally important habitats such as culm grasslands, wetlands, neutral meadows, woodlands, hedgerows, rivers and streams.

The project will also help to develop the local woodland economy and will be working with the local community to achieve this through a diverse programme of events and activities.

In the build-up to Christmas, representatives of the Northern Devon NIA will be visiting festive events across the area to provide free advice to landowners, and discuss community projects where people living within the NIA can get involved improving nature in the area.

The NIA team will be at Okehampton Christmas Market on Saturday, December 15, explaining the project to people and giving advice to landowners.

The outreach team is looking to find NIA community champions as part of its programme, in an effort to raise the awareness of more than 100,000 Devon residents.

The position is open to people already involved with wildlife activities of a local group, or those who have an interest in developing their skills and would like to get involved in nature preservation.

For more information on the Northern Devon NIA, visit http://www.devonwildlifetrust.org">www.devonwildlifetrust.org

To get involved in the community volunteer programme call 01409 221823 or e-mail [email protected]">[email protected]

The Northern Devon scheme was one of 12 NIAs chosen from 76 candidates to receive a portion of £7.5-million of funding earlier this year.

It was developed as a partnership project within the North Devon UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The partnership consists of 16 different organisations, of which Devon Wildlife Trust is the project's lead partner.