Cambridgeshire is one of the most nature depleted counties across England. With an ambitious economic growth agenda there is a requirement for putting nature at the heart. The area has already adopted a ‘Doubling Nature’ ambition. This responds to the existing deficit of rich wildlife areas across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and the national biodiversity decline.
A Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) can help deliver this ambition.
It will help us to respond to the local and national biodiversity decline, by using Lawton Principles that ‘nature is bigger, better and more joined up’. By supporting the recovery of nature, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough can become a world-class environment where nature can thrive.
For further information on the LNRS for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, please visit the the Natural Cambridgeshire website LNRS section.
What is a ‘Local Nature Recovery Strategy’?
The Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) is a key component of the Environment Act 2021. The aim is to set priorities for nature recovery in the country. The LNRS will include as a minimum the following:
Statement of Biodiversity Priorities
- A description of biodiversity for the strategy area.
- Opportunities for recovering or enhancing biodiversity in the strategy area.
- Prioritise areas and species for recovering or enhancing biodiversity in the strategy area.
- Identify priorities for recovery or enhancing biodiversity in the strategy area.
Local Habitat Map - to identify
- National conservation sites in the strategy area.
- Nature reserves in the strategy area.
- Other areas that are important for biodiversity and nature recovery.
- Areas where biodiversity could contribute to other environmental benefits.
These spatial strategies will be developed by a ‘Responsible Authority’ (RA) as set out by DEFRA. The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) is the RA for the county. The CPCA has contracted the responsibility to Cambridgeshire County Council to develop the LNRS. This is in collaboration with Natural Cambridgeshire (Local Nature Partnership) as a key partner.
Progress so far…
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough LNRS is being developed as an evidence based, locally led and collaborative approach.
As of August 2024, the Production Team, with support from the Steering Group and working groups have recently been working on the following:
- Creating a longlist of habitat priorities within the region. Reducing the longlist to a shortlist and refining the wording of the priorities.
- Establishing the potential measures for each priority through an Ecologist Working Group.
- Using the potential measures to provide guidance on the mapping outputs with Natural Capital Solutions.
- Refining the strategy document text in collaboration with Land Use Consultants.
- Completing the species priority list in collaboration with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Environmental Records Centre and commencing writing bespoke measures for the relevant species.
Work on the LNRS began in January 2023. The full list of progress made so far is available in the following document.
The following contracts have been awarded.
- October 2023: Natural Capital Solutions to provide expert GIS support and assist in the delivery of data and evidence workstream.
- October 2023: Land Use Consultants to provide authorship role and to write the final strategy.
- October 2023: Natural Cambridgeshire to support delivery of the stakeholder engagement and communication workstream.
- September 2024: Raw Creative to provide graphic design and formatting for the final strategy document.
All contractors will work alongside the LNRS Production Team. This is co-ordinated by the LNRS Officer and given direction by the LNRS Steering group. To understand the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough LNRS process, please see the following link.
How will the strategy help recover nature?
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough LNRS will help prioritise where and how to invest in nature. Becoming a critical plan to guide:
- Planning and Development: integration of local nature recovery strategies into the planning system, so that areas of greatest potential for nature recovery can be better reflected in planning decisions.
- Environmental Incentives: help shape the roll out of new Environmental Land Management Schemes, Biodiversity net gain, etc.
- Nature-based solutions: strengthen local ambitions for nature-based solutions to wider environmental issues (Climate Change, flood risk, etc).
- Investment: funding for specific activities that are identified in the LNRS.
How to get involved?
- Sign up to our newsletters (Dynamics.com website).
- Contact us at: localnaturerecoverystrategy@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
