Background The remaining natural Tilio-acerion woodland of the British Isles includes mosaics of woodland habitats associated with steep-sided limestone valleys. The project focused on two such sites, the Wye Valley Woodlands cSAC along the border of England and Wales and the Peak District Dales cSAC in northern England, due to their size and complex conservation requirements. These woodlands suffer from a range of threats, not least from their fragmentation into different ownerships and a lack of an overall strategy for management, but also from a wide range of progressively negative trends. Action is urgently required to combat woodland fragmentation, the degradation of woodland structure, the decline of woodland species and the lack of community involvement in management. Objectives The project aimed to protect, restore and defragment the two ravine woodland complexes, to bring them under co-ordinated management and to find innovative solutions to ensure their long-term viability. Results The project, which was managed by a partnership of competent organisations, achieved almost all of its targets, with many being exceeded. The overall aim to protect, restore and de-fragment two Ravine Woodland complexes in the UK, to bring these areas under coordinated management plans and to find innovative solutions to ensure their long-term viability was achieved. Other highlights of the project included the drawing up of management plans for more than 2 000ha and the gathering of data for a management plan covering a further 94ha. The project also collated GIS data to provide a GIS planning tool for long-term management for two SAC areas covering around 3 200ha within the two project areas. Moreover, it carried out 26 surveys to gather ecological, geological and historical data for sites to guide long-term management. The project also conducted research to further understanding of sycamore management within UK Tilia-Acerion habitats and published these findings in a sycamore management handbook. It implemented management actions to secure the long-term ecological viability of nearly 3 000ha of SAC woodland and closely linked non-woodland habitats. Operations completed included: 17.5km of stock fencing. 11.3km of deer fencing. deer management. grazing management. 24.1ha coppicing. thinning including the control of non-native species over 587.5ha. dead wood management of 771 trees. 13.6ha scrub management. 4 100m of access improvement.Though he project Identified only limited opportunities for generating income from woodland conservation management operations, it highlighted the considerable indirect economic value of the SAC woodlands. It also raised awareness of ravine woodland and SAC habitats among local communities and stakeholders, holding 19 events, attracting 66 mentions in the media, creating a project website that received more than 500,000 visits and publishing three Project newsletters and five leaflets. Another important aspect of the project was the engagement with private landowners of SAC woodlands within the project areas. It approached 37 landowners and negotiated agreements to enable conservation management work to be implemented on sites covering 670ha in total. A further 94ha of ground was purchase, and is in the process of being designated as a National Nature Reserve. Finally, the project shared knowledge and experience with landowners and land managers elsewhere in the UK and Europe through site visits. While the formal project partnership dissolved with the close of the project, the relationships and networks developed, along with wide-ranging management plans and a comprehensive After-LIFE Conservation Plan, should ensure the ongoing conservation of these important woodland habitats. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report (see "Read more" section).