WORK preserving the unique natural environment of the Malvern Hills was highlighted at the national launch of a report by English Nature in London.

Ian Rowat, the director of the Malvern Hills Conservators, was among the guests at the event, on Thursday night at the British Library, where he gave a speech on the work being carried out on the Hills.

The English Nature report is the first definitive survey of the condition of England's legally-protected wildlife and geological sites and follows six years of research.

In the summer, English Nature presented the Conservators with a national award in recognition of its work on SSSIs.

EN's Herefordshire and Worcester-shire team is based at Eastnor and works closely with the Conservators on projects on the Malvern Hills.

Two major projects are currently running on the Hills. The first is the lottery-funded High Brown Hills Project, which includes the restoration of natural grazing to the southern Malverns by the introduction of sheep.

The second is a Countryside Stewardship agreement with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which has seen the introduction of cattle to graze the area north of British Camp.

Mr Rowat said the invitation to speak was further recognition of the organisation's efforts and added that it was good also to put Malvern in the national spotlight.

Work of this nature will show the way for other Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) across the two counties. The survey says that 45 per cent of sites have ideal management or changes in place to make them better, which is below the national average.

The Government says that figure has to rise to 95 per cent by 2010.

One issue waiting to be studied is agricultural pollution in the Rivers Teme, Wye and Lugg.