An author brought the important history of a rare heathland to life at the launch of £1.3 million project to save it from ruin.

More than 60 councillors and conservationists joined Chris Howkins, author of the book Heathland Harvest, to launch a five-year plan which aims to restore the land.

Mr Howkins told how people once relied on the heath for food, fuel, housing materials and medicines.

Now 1,500 hectares of heathland across Sussex and Kent are under threat despite their status as vital habitats for wildlife and their local, national and international importance.

Thousands of visitors enjoy the scenery of heathlands, which stretch from Ashdown Forest and Chailey Common to Southborough Common, near Tunbridge Wells.

Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith, president of the High Weald area of outstanding natural beauty, symbolically felled a small birch tree in the Ashdown Forest special protection area at Wych Cross at the launch.

The scheme will set up a plan to manage the High Weald of Sussex and Kent so wildlife will thrive and neighbouring communities will benefit from its beauty.

The Weald Heathland Initiative will work in partnership with local heathland owners, community groups, volunteers and residents.

Restoration work, planned at 21 sites in East Sussex, West Sussex and Kent, includes seeding, scrub clearance, bracken control and heather cutting.

Project officer Richard Allum said cattle or pony grazing was important to managing heathlands so animals would be introduced to some sites but only after consultation with local communities.

Residents, schools and visitors could join the programme by attending events and getting involved in arts and practical projects.

Mr Howkins said there was a historical relationship between people and heathlands over many centuries.

He said peasants used their heathland knowledge to provide products for the lords of the manors in the Weald and any surplus was traded in nearby towns.

In the 19th Century, just six heathland species provided all the raw ingredients for all of the nation's soaps, detergents and wool dyes.

He said: "It is only in our lifetime that we have stopped using heathland as a working resource.

"We could make nature and industry work together again.

"We import potash from Canada to fertilise gardens but the world's richest source of potash is bracken, which has to be cleared from heathlands and burned.

"If power stations burned bracken for energy and sold the ash to garden centres, big business would be conserving a threatened habitat and providing electricity."