Local Nature Recovery Strategy Overview

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Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) were introduced in the Environment Act 2021. This new system
of spatial strategies will:

1. Support efforts to recover nature across England
2. Help planning authorities
3. Incorporate nature recovery objectives
4. Support the delivery of Biodiversity Net Gain
5. Help deliver our national environment targets

The Government has now published LNRS regulations and statutory guidance which work together to
establish the ‘rules’ to enable high quality and consistent LNRSs to be prepared across England.

These are plans that will help drive more coordinated, practical, focussed action and investment to help nature and people flourish together, whilst delivering wider nature-based environmental benefits. They will consist of:

• A Statement of Biodiversity Priorities, which reflect stakeholder priorities for environmental outcomes, and the actions that need to be undertaken to achieve these outcomes.
• A Local Habitat Map, which will identify the existing distribution of habitats and the location of areas already important for biodiversity, overlaid by locations considered suitable for delivering the outcomes and actions identified by stakeholders.

The NEP, commissioned by the Responsible Authority of Buckinghamshire Council and supporting Milton Keynes City Council, is the project manager for the LNRS development process for Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.

Previously, Buckinghamshire (not including Milton Keynes) was part of a Defra pilot to understand how best to develop LNRSs. For more details on the specific steps of the pilot, please download the Buckinghamshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy Pilot Overview document.

If you have a specific query, please email lnrs@buckinghamshire.gov.uk.