Hertfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy public consultation

In 2023, the Hertfordshire Nature Recovery Partnership (HNRP) was formed by Hertfordshire County Council. The partnership includes environmental and ecological experts, land managers, district and borough councils and other organisations and communities across the county. Since forming, it has worked to develop a strategy for restoring and enhancing nature in Hertfordshire – the Hertfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

According to the State of Nature Report 2023, nearly one in six species (16%) are threatened with extinction in Great Britain. Since 1970, our UK species have declined by 19%, more than half of flowering plants and bryophytes (such as mosses and liverworts) have been lost from areas where they used to thrive, and pollinators such as bees and moths have decreased by 18% on average. 

When the HNRP started work on our county’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy, our first task was to identify the most important Hertfordshire species needing help to recover and thrive, those that have declined in number, or are most at risk of extinction in the county.

Our second task was to determine the most important habitats in Hertfordshire. We did this by identifying those habitats which support those species we identified as having the greatest need. Most species have a preferred habitat – a specific type of place that forms their home, where they live, grow and reproduce as part of an interrelated network of animal, plant, fungi and insect species.

Habitats are greatly influenced by the underlying geology, the amount of water they receive, their angle to the sun, and the presence of nutrients and pollutants. They can be almost any size - from woodlands to window boxes, from muddy meadows to chalk streams, but many habitats can only exist in a particular type of location.

Unfortunately, many areas of existing habitat are not thriving, so we also looked at what could be done to improve them, perhaps through better or different management or through other actions.  Each habitat type has its own nature recovery priority, with actions that will help us achieve this priority in the Strategy.

Our third task was to mark these habitats on a digital map which forms part of the Strategy, and to look for suitable locations across the county where more areas of habitats could be created and which could connect habitats of the same type. These areas, which have potential to be become important habitat, were also marked on the digital map. These are known as Areas that Could Become of Particular Importance.

The names of habitats are not familiar to everyone. We think it is helpful to have a Flagship Species to represent each type of habitat to help people better understand the type of place being described. Actions to recover their habitat will help the Flagship Species recover, as well as all the other species that make their home in that habitat.

Some of the species we identified have specific needs and require extra support to help them recover. For instance, they may need more than one habitat to help them thrive. Perhaps they live in one habitat, but hunt their food in another. The strategy calls them Species with Targeted Actions, and specific actions have been listed for each one.

Hertfordshire Nature Recovery Partnership has had a great deal of help in these tasks, and we acknowledge the volunteers of the County Recorders of the Hertfordshire Natural History Society, the land managers who have given advice and proposed sites for consideration in the Strategy, as well as the staff, leaders and councillors representing the organisations who form part of the Partnership.

What is a Local Nature Recovery Strategy?

Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) are a new, England-wide approach to targeting the restoration, enhancement and creation of spaces for nature. Each of 48 ‘Responsible Authorities’ across England must create an LNRS, as required by the Environment Act 2021.

The purpose of an LNRS is to enable a more joined-up, locally implemented approach to nature recovery. Areas for nature that are bigger, better quality and interconnected not only enable wildlife to flourish, but also provide many benefits to people, including mitigating floods and improving access to green space.

An LNRS is made up of the following:

• a strategy area description – to describe the area’s natural environment and biodiversity and the key pressures on nature in the area
• a list of priorities and actions (referred to as ‘measures’ in the LNRS guidance) for nature recovery in the area. This is to prioritise the actions that will have the most impact on recovering nature in the area based on ecological expertise
• a list of species – this allows us to bring awareness to some of the most vulnerable species in the area and identify ways to help them, and other species, recover and thrive
• a map showing opportunities for nature recovery across the area – to show the areas where actions described in the strategy would have the most impact on nature recovery.

Who is the intended audience?

The LNRS will not only be a vital tool to help landowners, planners and developers take positive action for nature, but also provide guidance for everybody in the county who wants to undertake nature projects or simply learn more about the habitats and species in their area. This is why we want to hear everyone’s views on the draft strategy, no matter your job, knowledge or experience. This will help us make the strategy as accurate, useful and impactful as possible.

Where do I start?

To review the Hertfordshire LNRS draft, we recommend starting with Introducing the Hertfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy. This introduces the strategy and provides a tutorial on how to use the map tool.

You can also jump straight into the feedback survey, as the survey will go through each section of the strategy.

What are you going to do with my feedback? Why should I give feedback?

It is important that the actions we have identified are the those best suited to Hertfordshire and its residents. Your feedback will be vital to improving the current draft of the Hertfordshire LNRS. For example, your local knowledge of the habitats and species in your area could help us make the areas where actions have been mapped more accurate. We have already received some feedback on earlier iterations of the draft LNRS that we are still working to incorporate into the final version.

Following the public consultation, we will be publishing a report on the feedback received and how we have updated the Hertfordshire LNRS in response. No details of anyone who completed the survey will be included in the report.

What happens after the public consultation? When will the Hertfordshire LNRS be published?

The date of publication depends on how long it takes for the draft to be finalised and signed off. However, we expect the strategy to be published in late autumn 2025.

This draft of the Hertfordshire LNRS will be updated following the public consultation. This will include updating the look of the website and map to create a more polished final version. Once complete, the final draft will then go through the process of being signed off by our supporting authorities (i.e. Natural England and Hertfordshire’s district and borough councils) before being published.

How were the mapped sites chosen? I submitted a site for inclusion. Why isn’t it mapped in the draft?

Local Nature Recovery Strategies must prioritise mapping the areas of the county where ecological expertise indicates that each action in the strategy would have the most impact on helping nature recover. However, if we haven’t mapped areas that you believe should be included, we want to hear about it. Let us know by taking the survey.

Local Nature Reserves (LNRs), Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and other nationally designated sites with legal nature protections must be mapped in the LNRS as ‘Areas of Particular Importance for Biodiversity’ (APIBs). However, the statutory guidance says that actions cannot be mapped onto these sites (except for on Local Wildlife Sites and areas of Irreplaceable Habitat). This is because these sites already have dedicated management plans to help their wildlife thrive.

My land is identified in the LNRS, but I don’t want to create new habitats. What do I need to do?

You don’t need to do anything. It is up to you to decide what to do with your land. The LNRS does not give Hertfordshire County Council (or any other body) any control or power over your land. However, if you do not want your land to be identified in the LNRS at all, email localnaturerecovery@hertfordshire.gov.uk.