Local Nature Recovery Strategy

Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) are a requirement of the Environment Act (2021). Suffolk County Council is the Responsible Authority for delivering Suffolk’s LNRS.

LNRSs form part of a new, nationwide approach to drive nature recovery across England. They focus on highlighting and revitalising natural habitats across Suffolk by:

• mapping the existing important areas for nature
• identifying and mapping the best locations and opportunities for nature recovery
• prioritising key species and habitats for recovery
• planning where and how to create new and connect existing habitats.

We have designed the LNRS to:

• guide public authorities in meeting their legal duty to protect and enhance biodiversity.
• boost the benefits of nature for community health and wellbeing.
• highlight priority areas for nature recovery and encourage local involvement.
• identify sites for habitat creation and improvement.
• support local planning and align it with wider nature recovery goals.
• help secure funding for nature projects.
• encourage community nature groups.
• map key locations where habitat work will have the greatest impact.

LNRSs are not designed to be prescriptive. They are tools to drive forward action to recover nature. They will not be used to:

• require land managers or owners to make specific proposed land use changes. This will remain their choice
• place new restrictions on developing land or act as a specific blocker for proposals
• assign new legal protections that create restrictions on how land is used or managed
• propose new nature reserves or any other kind of legal designation
• prevent nature conservation in areas that are not prioritised by the LNRS
• determine regulatory decisions, such as the result of Environmental Impact Assessments.

There are six key parts to Suffolk’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy. These are:

• Part A: ‘Strategy Area Description'. Part A provides a description of the current state of nature. This includes a summary of the habitats found in Suffolk and the pressures they face.
• Part B: ‘Opportunities Identified’. Part B sets out the opportunities to restore and enhance habitats in Suffolk. This includes a focus on the practical actions that target key habitat types, address biodiversity loss, and strengthen ecological resilience. This section also includes wider environmental co-benefits that could arise through recovering nature.
• Part C: ‘Suffolk’s Priority Habitats, Assemblages and Species’. Part C outlines the practical actions that will support the recovery of the habitats, species, and assemblages most in need.
• Part D: ‘Locations for Action’. Part D presents the potential measures which are mapped on the LNRS Local Habitat Map. The Local Habitat Map shows where these measures could have the greatest impact for Suffolk’s nature recovery priorities.
• The Local Habitat Map displays:
  1. the areas of particular importance for biodiversity (APIB);
  2. the areas that could become of particular importance (ACB);
  3. the potential nature recovery measures that could be taken.

• The Appendices provide an overview of the:
  1. the legislative background and analysis of related strategies and documents.
  2. the methods used for species and habitat priority generation.
  3. how the LNRS links to delivering wider environmental benefits.
  4. the methods create the mapping.
  5. the methods used during the engagement and consultation process to gather feedback.
  6. background on the Norfolk and Suffolk Nature Recovery Partnership.

The current national guidelines specify that the LNRS will undergo review, updates, and republishing every 3 to 10 years. The updated LNRS will detail any actions taken during this time.

The Norfolk and Suffolk Nature Recovery Partnership will help to monitor and implement the Strategy. The Partnership will also help to enable collaboration on nature recovery projects and action in the future.

UK wildlife has, on average, declined by 19% since 1970. Many of the country’s most important habitats are now in poor condition. The UK now has less than half of its biodiversity remaining.

The LNRS is needed to prevent further biodiversity loss and habitat fragmentation.

Nature recovery is also essential to our daily lives in ways that we can’t easily see, including:

• supporting food production and local economies
• pollinating our crops
• connecting and expanding areas for nature so that wildlife can thrive and move across the county
• reducing the impacts of extreme weather events
• improving air, soil, and water quality
• providing recreational and educational opportunities
• boosting our mental and physical wellbeing
• helping us to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

The shortlist of priority species and habitats was chosen for their local importance. Input from a range of groups shaped the list. These included farmers, environmental groups, local experts, the public, and community organisations.

We can't include every habitat and species for recovery. But the ones we've prioritised will help boost nature recovery across the county. This will help to support a wide range of other habitats and species more generally.

To find out more , you can visit the publications section of the Norfolk and Suffolk Nature Recovery Partnership website.

The LNRS can support housebuilding targets by giving planners and developers key information to guide decisions on land use planning. This might include information about how to plan and build housing that supports nature recovery goals and boosts biodiversity.

Local planning authorities must consider how to protect and enhance biodiversity. To do this, they should consider the nature recovery priorities outlined in LNRSs when developing local plans. This will ensure that these plans contribute to and enhance the local and natural environment.

Local planning authorities should also be aware of the areas and potential measures in the LNRS Local Habitat Map. They should consider what safeguarding is needed to deliver the proposed actions.

By supporting nature, we can grow food on our best farmland. At the same time, we can set aside less productive land for nature to recover. Recovering nature benefits food production and agricultural land by:

• helping to improve soil and water quality
• increasing the number of pollinators
• supporting adaptation to extreme weather; and
• creating more resilient farmland habitats.

Suffolk’s LNRS can help landowners, managers, and tenant farmers identify locations for nature recovery on their land. This will support landowners and managers in applying for funding for environmental improvements. These schemes can boost farm income by ensuring farmers get paid for restoring nature while also growing food.

The government offers different funding options to encourage landowners and managers to support nature recovery activities. These include, but are not limited to:

• Farming in Protected Landscapes
• Environmental Land Management Schemes
• Sustainable Farming Incentive.

We have designed the LNRSs to complement other environmental schemes and financing, such as Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). The nature recovery actions in the LNRS can help find key areas for off-site BNG delivery. The mapping can be used to determine the ‘strategic significance’ score in the BNG metric. This means that if biodiversity gains are delivered in LNRS key areas, then within the biodiversity metric, they will be worth 15% more.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the earlier public survey and the land management survey. Your input has helped to shape the species and priorities in this draft LNRS. For more details, visit the Norfolk and Suffolk Nature Recovery Partnership website. 

Once the public consultation ends, we will use all feedback to shape the final version of Suffolk’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

After the revisions, the strategy will go back to Suffolk County Council's elected members. They will endorse it as the official plan for nature recovery in the region.

After cabinet endorsement, there will be a 28-day pre-publication period. This will give our Supporting Authorities a chance to share any final comments or changes before the Strategy and Mapping are published.

The strategy will be published by the end of 2025. To stay informed, visit our dedicated webpage: Norfolk and Suffolk Nature Recovery Partnership.