Local nature recovery strategies (LNRS) are ground-breaking new mechanisms to plan for nature recovery at a local level; they agree priorities for nature recovery and propose actions in the locations where it would be most beneficial. They identify practical, achievable proposals developed with the input of people who know and understand the area, especially landowners and managers.
What is a local nature recovery strategy and why do we need one?
Image
England is widely considered to be one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Government has made legally binding commitments to end the decline of nature in England and facilitate its recovery through the Environment Act, which came into force in November 2021 and brings into law requirements to halt the decline of species and enhance our natural environment.
Cumbria is one of 48 strategy areas that are required by the Environment Act to develop a LNRS for their area by March 2025. The LNRS will aim to restore Cumbria’s wildlife by drawing on existing data, strategies and guidance, alongside local knowledge, to ensure that nature recovery happens in a way that delivers maximum benefit. Rather than a project plan, it is an agreed set of priorities and measures for habitat management and creation, and the identification of the most suitable locations for these.
Through local action, the Cumbria Local Nature Recovery Strategy will contribute towards the delivery of the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, which aims to create a Nature Recovery Network of existing and new wildlife areas across the whole of England.
Image
What humans do over the next 50 years will determine the fate of all life on the planet.