EXMOOR national park is to receive £125,000 to assist new business initiatives and community development projects in keeping with its environment.

It is part of a £1 million package for English national parks and the Broads announced by Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael.

A 'Sustainable Development Fund' will be set up in each of the parks with £125,000 to award in the first year. Future funding has yet to be determined.

The awards will be open to individuals or organisations from the public, private or voluntary sectors, from within or around each area, probably by early autumn.

Grants will be made available to support projects and enterprises that promote the protection of the environment, make careful use of natural resources, recognise the needs of all people and help to maintain sustainable levels of economic growth.

Exmoor National Park Authority chief officer Nigel Stone said: "The two national parks in the South West - Exmoor and Dartmoor - are a vital environmental and economic asset to the region.

"These Sustainable Development Funds are a great opportunity for people of the area and we would be interested in hearing from anyone with innovative ideas that demonstrate sustainability - for example renewable energy, better use of woodlands, promoting local foods or community projects."

The scheme will build on the success of a similar one that has been running in the Welsh national parks for the last three years, supporting projects as diverse as a wild mushroom growing enterprise to the development of a prototype tidal-power generator.

Association of National Park Authorities chief executive Martin Fitton said: "These funds will challenge organisations, individuals and businesses to come forward with new ideas for achieving a more sustainable way of living in the countryside.

"Unlike other grant schemes, it will have the minimum amount of bureaucracy and will be aimed at innovative ideas so that they can be tried and tested.

"The impact of foot and mouth disease showed just how fragile the economy is in many remote rural areas, including our national parks.

"We hope that this scheme will play an important part in a rural revival by providing new opportunities to improve the environmental, social and economic outlook for people who live in national parks and the Broads and those who may never have visited.

"Over the coming three years, the funds will support new initiatives that build on the unique environment of each national park and the Broads.

"We will be looking for projects that can make a real and measurable difference to the quality of life in these areas - that means creating new jobs, taking forward community led projects and enhancing the special landscape, wildlife and built heritage of each area."

He said the project would test a new approach to sustainable development: "By bringing together the themes of economic development, community involvement and care of the environment, we want to see if this model of sustainable development can work - and take the learning from this initiative and see it applied across other areas of the countryside in future years."

The announcement was made at Settle High School - a centre for excellence in the teaching of sustainable development and environmental issues - in rural North Yorkshire.

Mr Michael said: "The Sustainable Development Fund is an important step towards the revival of our national parks. It means they can pilot new ways of achieving sustainability by integrating the environment, local communities and the economy and then providing valuable information to other rural communities.

"I welcome projects that encourage young people to get involved and especially those that create a link between rural and urban communities which also have a stake in our national parks.

"I hope these projects will be examples for other rural areas to follow, broadening the message of sustainable development."