Background At the end of the 18th century the Dorset heathlands stretched across 500 km² of countryside in southern England, broken up only by river valleys. Two centuries later, the picture was quite different: heaths covered only 14% of their former range and what remained was torn apart by new land uses – agricultural land, large urban areas and conifer plantations. The 420,000 residents of the Poole - Bournemouth conurbation put particular pressure on the 1850 ha of nearby heaths. Fires were deliberately set, vegetation was trampled underfoot by people, horses and mountain bikes etc. and many sites were used as illegal dumps to get rid of old rubbish. The public's perception of these habitats was clearly negative: these areas were nothing more than wastelands. Innovative approaches were required to change such attitudes. The heath fragments that remained were so small and vulnerable that there was little benefit in trying to protect them, or introducing classic conservation measures to restore them, without assuring local cooperation. Their status as a habitat of international importance is rarely recognised. Objectives The Dorset Heaths LIFE project, which was run by a consortium of ten public and private organisations, introduced a new approach to conserving urban heaths. The approach was based on three themes. First, an education programme was developed for schoolchildren based on the UK government's citizenship initiative. Schoolchildren were taught about their roles and responsibilities as citizens. The intention was to introduce this education programme into the National Curriculum from September 2002. The second theme focused on improving the fire services' ability to tackle heathland fires more efficiently through specialised equipment, fire plans and additional surveillance. Finally, a community action programme was launched to create a volunteer wardens scheme made up of local inhabitants and to promote a range of activities: guided walks, fairs, arts and music and an interactive website on the heathland theme. Results Using a three-pronged approach, the project improved the status of the sites by educating local communities and increasing their awareness of the sites and their value. This was carried out through schools and local community groups. The project also introduced greater vigilance towards fire-raising through employing wardens throughout the summer period, increased police presence and involving community groups in monitoring. Finally, the management of the sites was also improved through the construction of firebreaks and fences to protect particularly sensitive areas and to reduce soil erosion. Access to the sites for fire engines and other vehicles to tackle fires was also improved. The project achieved all of its objectives. During the duration of the project the amount of fire-raising decreased, particularly in those sites that had been especially prone (it is difficult to really compare statistics over a fairly short period of time, as the level and severity of fires on heathland is largely dependent on weather). There was also a stabilisation in the populations of nesting birds that had previously been declining, a direct result of better habitat management.