Frequently Asked Questions
Made mandatory by the Environment Act 2021, the main purposes of Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) are to:
- Bring together information about the areas which are most important for biodiversity and make this accessible on a map base, known as the ‘Local Habitat Map’.
- Identify locations where effort can best be focused to improve or create habitat most likely to provide the greatest benefit for nature and the wider environment.
- Help reverse the ongoing decline of nature in England by establishing priorities for nature recovery.
- Provide a strategy around which partners can come together to deliver shared aims and objectives, including around improving public access to nature, natural flood risk management, and resilience to the changing climate.
- Assist government agencies to target biodiversity-related funding.
- Assist land managers, developers, planners, environmental organisations, communities, residents and businesses to pursue opportunities to target actions and thereby help nature recover.
- Inform the delivery of mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and guide local planning policy for nature recovery.
Every LNRS is required to include a Statement of Biodiversity Priorities and a Local Habitat Map.
The Statement of Biodiversity Priorities
- describes the area’s important habitats, species and landscapes.
- describes the pressures on nature and opportunities for nature recovery.
- includes a shortlist of priorities for nature recovery and potential measures (practical actions) to achieve the priorities relevant to the area.
The Local Habitat Map
- Includes a map showing current ‘Areas of Particular Importance for Biodiversity’ (APIBs); and,
- A map showing future nature recovery opportunities – ‘Areas that Could Become of Particular Importance for Biodiversity’ (ACBs). This identifies where the practical actions for achieving the area’s shortlisted nature recovery priorities would be best located to make the most difference for nature.
The LNRS for Staffordshire and Stoke-On-Trent also includes some targets to help focus our nature recovery efforts in pursuit of higher level ambitions, such as halting the decline in species abundance, and protecting 30% of land for biodiversity by 2030.
The State of Nature Report 2023 identifies Great Britain is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, with nearly one in six species threatened with extinction.
By mapping where important and potentially important habitats can be conserved, restored, and connected, the LNRS for Staffordshire and Stoke-On-Trent will provide for efforts to be focused and funding to be channelled into the most important areas, supporting nature recovery at landscape scale.
The LNRS can also help to realise nature’s multiple ecosystem services benefits. For example, it can help with cleaning water and air, with flood control, with green tourism and green prescribing (nature based activities to improve physical and mental health).
When completed, our LNRS will knit together with other LNRSs across England to form a National Nature Recovery Network.
It is expected that the Strategy will be used to:
- Guide funding and investment into local priorities for nature protection and enhancement, and thereby help realise opportunities for nature recovery.
- Help shape future farming and land management programmes, such as Environment Land Management (ELM) and Countryside Stewardship schemes.
- Map areas of opportunity for the use of ‘nature-based solutions’ to wider environmental problems like flooding or poor water quality, climate change mitigation and adaptation.
- Guide mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) investments.
- Provide a source of evidence for local planning authorities, helping to understand locations important for conserving and restoring biodiversity.
LNRSs are designed to complement other legal requirements set out in the Environment Act 2021 as follows.
- Biodiversity Net Gain – the LNRSwill determine where habitat creation or enhancement for BNG will be of ‘high strategic significance’ and thereby benefit from a 15% uplift in the statutory biodiversity net gain metric calculation.
- Biodiversity Duty. LNRSs will inform how all public authorities in England meet their legal duties to conserve and enhance biodiversity. This could be through managing areas of land they are responsible for in a way that supports what the LNRS proposes, or using the LNRS to inform relevant regulatory decisions.
- Planning– guidance is awaited from the government to explain how Local Planning Authorities must comply with their duty to have ‘particular regard’ to the LNRS. Whilst mentioned in paragraph 159 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), in the context of protecting Green Belt land, the NPPF does not otherwise currently mention LNRSs, in section 15 on conserving and enhancing the natural environment for example. However, a consultation on reforms to the NPPF recently closed and there is consequently potential for the NPPF to be amended to make further reference to LNRSs.
LNRSs provide opportunities to target, align and integrate action for nature’s recovery that delivers the greatest overall benefit, and LNRSs are therefore relevant to anyone with an interest in land which offers or has the potential to offer such prospects.
Farmers, Land Managers and Land Owners
Whilst there is currently no certainty about the ways in which DEFRA will use LNRSs, it is reasonable to anticipate that, in future:
- LNRSswill inform how DEFRA’s arms-length bodies (Natural England, the Environment Agency, and Forestry England) carry out their functions to better support nature recovery. For example, drawing on LNRS priorities, it is expected that the Strategy will inform the selection of locations for nature-based solutions such as natural flood management and tree planting.
- LNRSs will influence and inform Government funding programmes, such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive, Landscape Recovery Scheme, and Countryside Stewardship Programme.
- The LNRS will help farmers, land managers and land owners to shape nature recovery priorities for their area, encourage collaboration across land holdings and landscapes, and take maximum advantage of available funding.
Local Authorities
- LNRSs will be used to determine where habitat creation or enhancement for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) will be of ‘high strategic significance’. The creation or enhancement of habitat to generate biodiversity units for the purposes of biodiversity net gain will get a 15% uplift in the biodiversity metric.
- LNRSs will inform the preparation of Local Plans enabling them to more effectively identify, map and safeguard areas for nature recovery.
Protected Landscapes
- LNRSs can be used to inform the development and implementation of Protected Landscape management plans, by identifying locations and actions that will drive delivery of nature recovery.
Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations
- LNRSs can help ENGOs to identify and develop nature recovery projects, and to leverage and target funding.
Business/private sector
- LNRSs can be used to inform where private companies choose to focus corporate nature recovery investment and projects.
The LNRS does not place any additional designations on land. It is not a mandatory plan. It is not a delivery plan. The LNRS Local Habitat Map can be thought of as an opportunity map, which can be used by those who are willing and eager to engage in activities to help nature recover, but it does not introduce any new obligations on anyone to do anything that they are not already doing.
The LNRS map does not:
- Offer any new legal protections to land for nature recovery or otherwise, that create restrictions on how land can be used or managed. LNRSsdo not propose new nature reserves or any other kind of legal designation.
- Stop development, or place new restrictions on developing land – the LNRSwill be one source of evidence used to inform Local Plans that determine where development should occur.
- Require action to be taken by landowners or managers – this will always remain their choice. The LNRSsets out options where actions make best sense for nature, based on considerations such as existing local ecology, habitats, species dispersal distances, geology, soil type and topography.
- Prevent nature recovery work in areas not prioritised by the LNRS. The LNRSdoes not mean that areas within mapped locations are the only places where nature recovery actions should take place. Such action can take place everywhere.
- Determine regulatory decisions, such as the result of Environmental Impact Assessments.
Given the potential for funding and investment to flow from the inclusion of land in the Local Habitat Map, the Local Nature Recovery Partnership advises that there are many positives and few, if any, negatives to land being so included. However, if you remain convinced that you wish your land to be removed from the map, you will need to complete and submit the form, and submit the attachments referenced, at the following link Land removal or addition request form, by 5:00pm on Monday 27 July
Myth: The LNRS will force me to change how I manage my land.
Fact: The LNRS does not place any legal requirements on landowners. It simply shows where there may be opportunities for nature recovery if landowners want to take part in delivering the strategy.Myth: If my land is in an LNRS area, I will have to create habitat or stop farming.
Fact: The LNRS will not prevent farming from continuing as it currently does. The LNRS does not require landowners to change how they use their land.Myth: The ACB layer means my land will be protected, or restrictions will be placed on its use.
Fact: ACB areas simply highlight land that could become of particular importance for biodiversity in the future. The identification of ACBs does not place restrictions on landowners or create new designations. The LNRS does not give permission to create habitat without consulting specialists in historic environment, ecology, landscape, access and more.Myth: The LNRS will make it harder for me to do what I want with my land because of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG).
Fact: Many arable fields have relatively low biodiversity value, which means habitat creation as part of development can deliver strong biodiversity gains. If habitat created as a result of development matches the habitat types identified in LNRS ACB areas, the Biodiversity Net Gain calculation can benefit from a 15% strategic uplift, helping landowners and developers meet BNG requirements more easily.Myth: The LNRS only benefits environment and conservation groups.
Fact: It is expected that the LNRS will help farmers and landowners access funding through future iterations of the Environmental Farming Scheme and Environmental Land Management Scheme. It may also help them take advantage of financial opportunities, such as the establishment and expansion of habitat banks for Biodiversity Net Gain.Myth: If I ask for my land to be removed from the LNRS Local Habitat Map, I can request it be put back in immediately.
Fact: If land is removed from the LNRS Local Habitat Map, it cannot be put back in until the LNRS is reviewed in five years’ time. Any potential funding opportunities arising from inclusion in the LNRS will be missed until that review is complete.As the designated Responsible Authority, Staffordshire County Council has led on the production of this Local Nature Recovery Strategy. However, an inclusive and collaborative approach has been taken to produce it. Stakeholder engagement has been key to the development of the LNRS. In addition to our Supporting Authorities, our stakeholders include the following:
- environmental organisations and experts
- farmers and landowners
- residents and community groups
- town and parish councils
- businesses
- health and wellbeing organisations
- government bodies, such as the Ministry of Defence
The strategy has been developed following the statutory and non-statutory guidance provided by DEFRA and Natural England, taking an evidence-based and locally-led approach.
Since 2023, we have been gathering information to understand the pressures, opportunities and priorities for nature’s recovery in Staffordshire. During 2024/2025, we identified a draft set of priorities for nature through workshops with our stakeholders. We also gathered information on the pressures on nature that are the most urgent to address, and the benefits that nature provides that are vital for us. Stakeholders also told us how they would like the LNRS to be presented so it is user-friendly.
Stakeholder engagement has included:
- Engagement with stakeholders and specialists on Staffordshire’s habitats and species. For example, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Natural England, the RSPB, and various other species specialists and groups, as well as the Staffordshire Environmental Record Centre.
- Engagement with Farmers and Landowners. A Farmer and Landowner Group was set up with representatives from The Country Land and Business Association (CLA), and the National Farmers Union (NFU), who fed into the process through webinars, and face-to-face workshops.
- Engagement with sectors and Community/Place-Based groups: We engaged sectors such as Health, Businesses, parish and town councils, and Community/Place-Based groups.
Various groups were established to feed into the development of the LNRS, including the following: Communities Group, Species Task and Finish Group, Farmer and Landowner Advisory Group, Tree and Woodland Group, Data and Mapping Working Group, Habitat Task and Finish Group, Planning and Infrastructure Group, Stakeholder Communications Group, Steering Group.
If you think there are opportunities for nature recovery on your land that the LNRS hasn’t identified, we would be happy to talk to you about how this can be reflected in future iterations of the strategy. Local knowledge can help to improve the strategy going forward.
Contact LNRS@staffordshire.gov.uk