The Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for Hertfordshire sets out the prioritises to the mantra of “bigger, better, more joined up.” With the draft of the LNRS now available for public consultation, you have until 8 September to comment and influence the future for our local wildlife. Here, the Trust’s Director of Nature Recovery, Chloë Edwards shares how the LNRS was developed and the role the Trust has played in supporting this county-wide master plan.

Hertfordshire Nature Recovery Partnership formed in the autumn of 2023, as a new vehicle for driving forward the development of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for the county. The inaugural meeting of the Partnership took place as the air was becoming crisper, leaves were beginning to fall, and darker evenings were approaching. A time of change. Even though our meeting was set against a backdrop of successive State of Nature reports reaffirming that nature is in freefall and despite all our past efforts, we continue to be known as one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world – it was difficult not to feel hopeful as we all came together as a force for good. 

The Hertfordshire LNRS is one of 48 being developed across England at the moment and each of these will support and coordinate efforts to restore and enhance at the local level and collectively form a Nature Recovery Network spanning the entire country. The process in our county is being led by Hertfordshire County Council, who are the Responsible Authority appointed by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

As you may be aware there have been various plans and strategies developed over the last couple of decades in our county with nature recovery at their heart – so what makes this one different? 

Well, one of the big differences this time is that unlike many past plans and strategies, the LNRS is a statutory requirement under the Environment Act 2021, meaning local authorities are legally obligated to create and implement them. 

Another distinction is that within the development of the LNRS, there is huge emphasis on collaboration with local stakeholders, ensuring local knowledge and needs shape the strategy so that the tools that emerge on the other side of the process have been locally tailored. One of the core elements of the LNRS is also the creation of spatial mapping tools to highlight areas that are crucial for wildlife, connecting existing habitats, and identifying places where restoration efforts should be focussed to have the greatest impact. Stakeholder input is incredibly important here to ensure that the plans are grounded in reality and can be delivered. 

Unlike previous plans and strategies, the LNRS will also play a vital role in influencing local planning decisions, ensuring future developments meaningfully contribute to nature recovery. This is the first time that a nature-focussed strategy will be integrated with land-use planning in this way, and we also now have a direct mechanism for achieving nature improvements through development through Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). 

And honestly, this time it does feel different. Since the Partnership was formed, we have collectively spent many hundreds of hours working to shape the initial draft mapping and prioritisation work for our habitats and species. The task is colossal, constantly balancing ambition with realism, but we are incredibly lucky in our county to have so many hugely knowledgeable people willing to share their time and expertise to input into the process. Now the public can read the LNRS for Hertfordshire and have their say before it is finally launched this autumn. That is when the role of the Partnership will move into a new phase, as we focus on leveraging funding and mobilising resources at scale to deliver nature’s recovery in what will be the most critical period to 2030 through which we have lived. 

We know we need transformative action, more urgently than ever before. And if by this autumn, we’re all on the same page then the Hertfordshire LNRS can be the catalyst for action that delivers bigger, better and more joined-up landscapes across our county, those that are brimming with a diversity and abundance of wildlife and resilient to a climate that is ever changing.

Find out more

You can read the draft of the LNRS and have your say on it until 8 September 2025 here.