What is a local nature recovery strategy and why do we need one?

Cumbria is one of 48 strategy areas in England that are required by the Environment Act (2021) to prepare a Local Nature Recovery Strategy for their area, in line with The Environment (Local Nature Recovery Strategies) (Procedure) Regulations 2023 and the Local Nature Recovery Strategy Statutory Guidance.

In June 2023, the Defra Secretary of State appointed Westmorland and Furness Council as the “responsible authority” to lead the preparation of the Cumbria LNRS. In Cumbria we have four appointed supporting authorities:

Cumberland Council
Natural England
Lake District National Park Authority
Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority

The LNRS has been developed to deliver the Nature Recovery Network launched in the UK Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, and which has since been reviewed through the Environmental Improvement Plan (2023). Once combined, these strategies will create a nature recovery network for the whole of England, made up of enhanced, joined-up, wildlife-rich places, which will benefit people and nature.

The LNRS sets out priorities for nature recovery and identifies and maps areas where actions, known as potential measures, can have the biggest positive impact. By taking evidence and data, expert opinion and including what is important to people and communities, the LNRS makes it easier to plan and take action at a local level.

England is widely considered to be one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. 97% of flower-rich meadows have been lost since the 1950s, hedgehogs are now an endangered species, and 1 in 6 species in Britain are at risk of extinction. Despite having some wildlife success stories and being a county renowned for its natural assets, biodiversity in Cumbria has declined significantly in line with national trends, and is continuing to do so.

By taking evidence, data, expert opinion, and including what is important to people and communities, the LNRS will not only recognise those habitats that are already of particular importance for biodiversity, but also identify areas that ‘could become of particular importance for biodiversity’;

This means everyone can make the best decisions for nature where they live and work, and lead to the creation of “nature-recovery networks” – bigger, better, and more connected places that provide a home for wildlife and deliver a healthy environment for people.

What humans do over the next 50 years will determine the fate of all life on the planet.

- David Attenborough