About the Local Nature Recovery Strategy

These strategies are required by the Environment Act 2021 and must be produced every 3 to 10 years. There are 48 Local Nature Recovery Strategy areas stretching across England, with no gaps or overlaps.

Together, these strategies help to support the national 25 year environmental plan and its aim of creating a nature recovery network of 500,000 hectares of additional natural habitats. 

Developing the strategy is both reflective and proactive. It records the state of nature now and acknowledges the past, creating a baseline that accounts for the broader picture of nature in our area.

In this way it looks forward particularly to the actions required for nature recovery, recognising the uniqueness of locations (people and nature) and building on what’s present, with opportunities that are ambitious and reachable.

The LNRS consists of two parts, a statement of biodiversity priorities and a local interactive habitat map. These are referred to as the strategy document and the local habitat map.

Biodiversity is essential to all life. Nature is the bedrock upon which our entire private, commercial and public infrastructure is built. We are entirely reliant on the diversity of habitats and species to provide essentials such as clean and plentiful water, food, clean air, productive soil, flood protection, shading and cooling, control of diseases, as well as benefits like space for recreation, education and wellbeing. Diverse and thriving natural spaces are the foundation of our shared and individual prosperity, health, identity, and heritage.

Currently, wildlife is experiencing high levels of pressures. The UK is one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries; nearly 41% of the UK’s species have declined in recent decades (National Biodiversity Network, 2019)

 In turn, West Northamptonshire is one of England’s most nature-depleted areas. The wildlife sites that remain here are often small, in poor condition, and isolated from one another.

In order to maintain a sustainable local economy, we need ecologically robust land resources on a landscape-scale which can deliver the fullest spectrum of wider ecosystem service benefits.

Our LNRS and its tools are designed to be used by anyone, and are centred on the Making Space for Nature (Lawton 2010) principles - more, bigger, better, and joined up.  Ultimately, success depends on collective action, and everyone is invited to use this strategy and its tools to take positive action for nature.

West Northamptonshire Council was appointed as a Responsible Authority by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to lead the development of this strategy.

The strategy has been developed alongside the Nene Rivers Trust CIO, Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust, Northamptonshire Biodiversity Records Centre, Northamptonshire Local Nature Partnership, and other key stakeholders to bring together oversight, local expertise, and community insight. 

Stakeholder workshops were held, drawing in organisation representatives from a wider range of interests allowing input from non-typical environment groups. Alongside main wildlife organisations, they influenced the priorities and measures for nature recovery. 

This collaborative process has allowed us to pool the best available knowledge and data together to shape a strategy that reflects our area’s nature recovery priorities and the practical measures needed to deliver them, with the people who know their places best.

For further information on how the strategy was developed, please read the Strategy Document and the Methodology Statements support document, which can be found on the priorities and local habitat map section of the LNRS, or view the online storyboard.