English Heritage and English Nature have joined forces to publish a guide to the conservation and management of cemeteries.

Called Paradise Preserved, it is on both organisations\' websites. It is primarily for local authority cemetery managers, conservation officers, councillors and local people interested in getting involved in caring for their local cemeteries.

It is a result of the Government\'s Select Committee investigation into cemeteries last year. As a result of the Committee\'s report, English Heritage and English Nature were asked to provide guidance on the conservation and management of cemeteries. Paradise Preserved is their first response to that request.

It highlights the importance of conserving both the man-made and the natural elements within cemeteries and offers suggestions on how to evaluate them and use statutory designations to protect them. It gives a short history of the English cemetery, useful contacts and sources of funding.

John Fidler, head of building conservation & research at English Heritage, said: "The coexistence of nature and art, sometimes in an uneasy alliance, accounts for much of the charm of cemeteries.

"Knowing what we value now, and will value in the future, is one of the greatest challenges English Heritage faces as it begins to address our sepulchral inheritance. We need to take a rounded approach in our efforts to conserve and manage cemeteries, taking into account all their special characteristics."

Mathew Frith, English Nature\'s urban adviser, added: "English Nature endorses the efforts of cemetery managers to balance the needs of people with those of the natural and the built environment and looks forward to a constructive relationship with English Heritage and others to ensure that our cemeteries are managed as beacons of sustainability in the 21st century."

Paradise Preserved can be found at:

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