A communication plan could be launched in East Devon to help get support from residents for rewilding.

Councillors on the district council’s scrutiny committee acknowledged that supporting the environment and encouraging biodiversity were positive aspirations, but residents don’t always know whether land is simply being overlooked or left for rewilding.

Council officers said so-called wildlife improvement areas, where the authority manages land to help promote nature, had been created since 2010, starting with wildflowers in 13 meadows and several older cemeteries.