Following the Government's Environment Bill receiving Royal Assent in November 2021, the new Environment Act (2021) requires Local Authorities to produce a Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS).
Local Nature Recovery Strategies will establish priorities and map proposals for specific actions to drive nature's recovery and provide wider environmental benefits.
Each Strategy will be produced by a lead authority as advised by the Secretary of State. They are designed as tools to drive more coordinated, practical and focussed action to help nature. Each strategy will:
- map the most valuable exisitng habitat for nature
- map specific proposals for creating or improving habitat for nature and wider environmental goals
- agree priorities for nature's recovery
The production of each LNRS will be evidenced based, locally led and collaborative, to create a network of shared plans that public, private and voluntary sectors can all help to deliver. This will provide a locally-owned foundation to the developing Nature Recovery Network, identifying the places which, once action has been taken on the ground, will enable the network to grow over time. This in turn will help achieve wider environmental objectives, like carbon sequestration to mitigate climate changes or managing flood risk, and contribute to green economic recovery objectives.
In August 2020 Defra set up 5 LNRS pilots to test a new process for preparing LNRSs based around requirements set out in the Environment Bill.
Next Steps for the Implementation of Local Nature Recovery Strategies
Defra will continue to work refining the LNRS process and developing regulations and statutory guidance based on the lessons learned from the pilots.
The Council is working to build on partnerships and networks needed to prepare for LNRS as well as local capacity and local data availability.
For more information: Local Nature Recovery Strategy pilots: lessons learned - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)