Understanding Local Nature Recovery Strategies and the implications for land managers

The majority of CLA members may have heard about Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) over the past few years. As many of the LNRSs move towards consultation stage, it’s now the time to get to grips with what they are, why they matter, and how you can shape their development in your area.

LNRSs are spatial strategies designed to identify where and how nature recovery can have the greatest impact. Introduced under the Environment Act 2021, these strategies will, when completed, cover the whole of England. Each of the 48 strategies are led by a local authority known as the responsible authority.

The finished LNRS must contain two things:

1. Statement of Biodiversity Priorities: a written document outlining local biodiversity goals and opportunities.
2. Local Habitat Map: a visual tool showing areas of current and potential importance for biodiversity, including suggested actions like tree planting or wetland restoration.

It is the Local Habitat Map which will be of most interest to land managers, as it shows what the responsible authority believes are the current and future areas of importance for biodiversity.

The truth is that we don’t quite know how Local Nature Recovery Strategies will be used in the future. Defra and Natural England have made it clear that there is no intention to create ‘not spots’ or prevent funding and advice from reaching areas that are not identified within the LNRS as of particular importance.

Currently, areas identified as being strategically significant are able to access a Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) uplift, meaning you can create 1.5x as many biodiversity units on the same area of land. It is possible that future nature markets may follow a similar principle. 

As one of the key purposes of LNRSs is to target resources where they’ll have the most benefit, it might be that environmental funding sources, like those from water companies, are prioritised in the highlighted areas.

The aim of the LNRS is also to support the land manager’s goals – whether you’re interested in woodland creation, wetland restoration, or pollinator habitats – LNRSs can help align your ambitions with local priorities.

Natural England and Defra are also eager to make it clear that the LNRS is not a designation and should not prevent you from making land use decisions and managing your land as you wish.

In collaboration with the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN), the CLA has produced a webinar on what to expect from the LNRS consultation, why you should get involved, and what to do next.

The webinar includes speakers from the CLA, Natural England and Defra explaining how LNRSs work. It also features CLA member Pete Thompson who shares his experience and the following tips for getting involved in your LNRS:

• Get involved early: reviewing the maps early allows you to correct inaccuracies and ensure your land is represented accurately.
• Ground truth the data: maps may suggest actions that don’t make sense on the ground, like creating freshwater habitats on salt marshes. Your input helps fix that.
• Keep your options open: if you have long-term plans for habitat creation, make sure they’re reflected in the strategy now.
• Plan ahead: submitting feedback takes time and thought. Don’t leave it to the last minute.

Watch the webinar recording in full below.

Finally, we give an overview of some practical steps to take:

CLA members entitled to one-to-one advice can contact their regional office for more advice. You can also find the details of your responsible authority here.