I read, with interest, the comments of one of the Malvern Hills Conservators, David Masters (Your Letters, April 8).

In his letter, which included reference to views expressed at the initial public consultation meeting on hills' management, he forgets to mention the support received for the scheme, the fact it was supported by almost all the Malvern Hills Conservators, adopted by them and endorsed by, among other organisations, the Country Landowners Association, the Farming and Rural Conserva-tion Agency, the Malvern Hills AONB Office, English Nature and the Countryside Agency.

The Malvern Hills are of national importance for their biodiversity and landscape value. Accordingly, most of the hills have been designated a Site of Special Scientific Inter-est and all are included as the central spine of the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The Conservators have, therefore, in addition to their responsibilities derived from the five Malvern Hills Acts of Parliament, the responsibility of maintaining the scientific value and landscape qualities of the hills. The open, acid grassland of the main ridge and hill tops are one of the most important features of the hills and would be lost to scrub invasion if not managed in some way.

The Conservators could be viewed as being derelict in their duties if they do nothing about the loss of nationally important grasslands through scrub invasion. The most satisfactory and economic way of preventing scrub invasion is to graze the grasslands with sheep or cattle. Thus it is paramount that sheep are grazed on the hills.

I write in full support of the efforts being made by the Conservators to confront scrub invasion and manage the grassland with sheep and cattle.

This is being done following the management strategies in the Conservators' Management Plan for the Hills for 2000-2005.

It is time all the Conservators got behind their own management plan and their excellent and dedicated workforce and continued with the good work that has been carried out on the hills for the last five years.

Dr Peter Alma, Teme Avenue, Malvern.