A GOVERNMENT-backed scheme to boost wildlife at Belhus Woods Country Park will launch this autumn.

The park is run by Essex County Council Country Parks team in agreement with Thurrock Council.

The Countryside Stewardship Scheme supports long-term nature recovery to increase the variety of rare plant and animal life.

Belhus Woods on the Thurrock border is a rich blend of landscapes across 300 acres which have evolved from prehistoric settlements to the Normans, when it was a working woodland.

Providing a valuable environment for wildlife, the country park consists of veteran trees, open grassland, lakes, ancient woodlands and 400-year-old meadows.

Together these habitats support many rare and threatened species, along with more common ones.

The Countryside Stewardship Scheme will restore the wood pasture and grassland areas of the park through scrub management and livestock fencing.

The introduction of Red Poll cattle to both areas will result in natural land management through grazing so wildflowers can flourish.

Green hay cutting will also encourage the growth of wildflower species in the grassland, such as vetches and bord's foot trefoil

Coppice rotation will allow trees, fauna and flora to flourish in the woodland area by thinning growth and dead wood, creating a habitat for the re-introduction of the endangered Dormouse.

The scheme will see an increase in fungi and diversity of wildlife such as bats, birds, insects and butterflies, including the Silver-washed Fritillary and rare Shrill Carder Bee.

It will be overseen by leading ecologists from Essex County Council's Place Services as well as Natural England, the government's statutory body responsible for natural green infrastructure.

A series of habitat audits and surveys will take place to ensure the scheme's success. These will involve working with local animal monitoring groups, like the Essex Field Club.

Visit www.explore-essex.com/landscape-restoration-belhus to find out more about the Countryside Stewardship Scheme at Belhus Woods Country Park.