A MOORLAND management project has been hailed as a blueprint for the rest of Europe.

The North York Moors National Park Authority's farm and rural community scheme was described in Brussels as a model for how integrated rural development could be used in other areas of England and the rest of Europe.

A joint organisation of conservation, countryside and environmental agencies - including the World Wildlife Fund for Nature - has produced a report on rural development practices throughout Europe and a factsheet on the scheme to spotlight initiatives which are making a difference.

The Farm and Rural Community Scheme (FRCS), operated by the Countryside Agency, has been running for three years in Commondale, Westerdale and Danby. It has piloted ideas which link the environment, rural economy and community.

FRCS project officer Fraser Hugill, who represented the scheme in Brussels, said: "The project has shown how, by working with people, you can realise initiatives which are good for business, the community and the environment."

Elizabeth Guttenstein, the World Wildlife Fund's head of European development, said: "It is encouraging how people in the North York Moors are managing the scheme."