Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) representatives attend committee meetings

We were really pleased to welcome an Local Nature Recovery (LNRS) representative to almost every committee at the latest round of meetings in the Midlands.

LNRS aim to help identify areas and priorities to aid nature recovery.

Introduced under the Environment Act 2021, they will be a series of spatial strategies, covering the whole of England. Each strategy will collate existing information on wildlife habitats and species and agree priorities for where nature recovery could be best achieved.

The CLA has been pushing from the outset that landowner and farmer engagement is key to the preparation, and subsequent delivery of the strategies, if we are to see real benefits to wildlife.

It is important to recognise that the strategies do not compel landowners and farmers to take any action or change their management, but members may wish to engage with the process where they are already doing great work to help wildlife or want to consider doing work in future.

Whilst we wait for further guidance from DEFRA on how LNRS will relate to the new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme, we already know that there is an uplift in Biodiversity Net Gain credits for areas identified as a priority area within a LNRS.

If you would like to know more about LNRS or how to get more involved in your county then contact Rural Adviser Helen Dale.