Berkshire's Local Nature Recovery Strategy
Now is a really exciting time for nature.
We need to think about where Berkshire nature needs our help the most and how people can benefit from giving nature a hand. Help us decide.
Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) are spatial strategies to recover nature across England: part of the 2021 Environment Act. Together, they will cover the country in a Nature Recovery Network (NRN).
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead are excited to be the Responsible Authority (RA) for our Berkshire LNRS. Bracknell, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire and Wokingham are supporting authorities with Natural England. They are helping to contribute to the strategy. Updates on the progress of the LNRS are posted below.
Visualisation of stakeholder views on Berkshire Nature Recovery. Credits to Natalie Ganpatsingh.
Each LNRS will map areas of current particular importance for biodiversity, and work with partners from many groups, from landowners to businesses, to eNGOs, and the public. Priorities for nature recovery will be agreed and these will be used to create a local habitat map. These will depict what needs to happen to achieve the agreed aims for nature. This will link up with delivery mechanisms, such as Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) for planning and Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes for land management including farming.
Find a blog here from Natural England for more information on Local Nature Recovery Strategies.
Now is a really exciting time for nature.
We need to think about where Berkshire nature needs our help the most and how people can benefit from giving nature a hand. Help us decide.
Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) are spatial strategies to recover nature across England: part of the 2021 Environment Act. Together, they will cover the country in a Nature Recovery Network (NRN).
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead are excited to be the Responsible Authority (RA) for our Berkshire LNRS. Bracknell, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire and Wokingham are supporting authorities with Natural England. They are helping to contribute to the strategy. Updates on the progress of the LNRS are posted below.
Visualisation of stakeholder views on Berkshire Nature Recovery. Credits to Natalie Ganpatsingh.
Each LNRS will map areas of current particular importance for biodiversity, and work with partners from many groups, from landowners to businesses, to eNGOs, and the public. Priorities for nature recovery will be agreed and these will be used to create a local habitat map. These will depict what needs to happen to achieve the agreed aims for nature. This will link up with delivery mechanisms, such as Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) for planning and Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes for land management including farming.
Find a blog here from Natural England for more information on Local Nature Recovery Strategies.
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Background:
Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) are an important tool to assist in nature recovery across England and are required under the Environment Act 2021. There are 48 LNRSs covering the whole of England, with no overlapping strategies and no areas left uncovered. The strategy areas align with England’s 48 local government administered counties. Local Nature Recovery Strategies are a platform for local people to agree the key priorities for recovering nature in their area and recommend the actions required to help achieve these priorities. The actions will also bring about wider environmental benefits by utilising nature-based solutions to tackle issues such as flooding, carbon emissions and poor water quality in rivers and streams. They will be practical and achievable and will be directed at locations where they will have the greatest impact on nature recovery. The strategies will be delivered by local partners on the ground, be these community groups, landowners or land managers, who will be able to use existing sources of public and private funding to help implement nature recovery actions.
Before completing this survey:
The aim of this Public Consultation is to obtain the views of the public on the draft Berkshire LNRS. It is important that you read some or all of the documents comprising the LNRS before completing this survey. Find a link to the Berkshire LNRS draft strategy here. (add link). The documents to review are:
The Description of Berkshire The Species Shortlist The list of Priorities and Potential Measures The interactive Opportunity Map
The Opportunity Map comprises the following three layers
- The Baseline Layer/(APIB) -The places across Berkshire that are already great for wildlife – these are important to continue to protect – Baseline Map
- The Opportunity Layer (ACB) -Where nature recovery has been proposed – the most important and likely successful places across the county to start recovering nature
- The Actions Layer (PM) – The actions that should take place in these areas
Jump to the map here (add link).
Priorities - the end results that the strategy is seeking to achieve
Actions – (Also sometimes known as ‘Measures’), These are specific practical actions to achieve our priorities. They can benefit a particular species or habitat or provide wider environmental benefits (nature-based solutions).
Important information about this Public Consultation: The baseline map: Due to a long period of engagement in spring 2024 finding out
We are asking these questions because it is useful for us to know who we are hearing from. This information helps us to understand if the feedback we get is representative of the whole comunnity or if there are some gaps. It also helps us to see if there are differences in people's views or experiences based on characteristics like their age or gender.
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Lifecycle
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Phase 1 (September-December 2023)
Berkshire's Local Nature Recovery Strategy has finished this stageInitial engagement with stakeholders across Berkshire, through webinars, talks and a survey asking how people would like to engage.
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Phase 2 (March- April 2024)
Berkshire's Local Nature Recovery Strategy has finished this stageSecond round of engagement with stakeholders: finding out priorities for nature recovery across Berkshire, and measures to achieve this. Engagement done through a survey and 10 workshops (3 for farmers and landowners and 6 for the wider public). An online map is live for people to pin point biodiversity sites and opportunities for nature recovery.
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Phase 3 (June 2024)
Berkshire's Local Nature Recovery Strategy has finished this stageA webinar to present a first look at the collaborative targets from responses to workshops and survey. We will show the process that we are using to translate your priorities into a map of Berkshire, and hear your thoughts.
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Phase 4 (July to October)
Berkshire's Local Nature Recovery Strategy is currently at this stageFinalising the Priorities and Measures and creating the Opportunity Map. Setting targets for nature recovery, running the Marxan programme and reviewing results with stakeholder groups.
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Phase 5 (November 24-May 25)
this is an upcoming stage for Berkshire's Local Nature Recovery StrategyThe sign off process. A formal public consultation to see the drafted map and documents including a list of priorities created for the county. You can tell us what you think before we finalise the strategy. Phase also includes sign off from other Supporting Authorities and internally within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (the Responsible Authority).
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Finalisation of strategy (June 25)
this is an upcoming stage for Berkshire's Local Nature Recovery StrategyOnline publication of the finished Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Berkshire.
Progress Update Webinar slides
Progress Update Webinar Link
Documents
- LNRS Supporting Authority Factsheet.pdf (327 KB) (pdf)
- FAQs for planners across Berkshire
- FAQs - (Questions from Introductory Webinars).pdf (353 KB) (pdf)
- Public copy of LNRS_Berks_SpeciesLongList_Final.xlsx (263 KB) (xlsx)
- Explanations and examples of habitats (1).pdf (1.02 MB) (pdf)
- Visualisation of stakeholder vision for Berkshire (13.1 MB) (pdf)
- Example Habitat Assemblages.docx (13.6 KB) (docx)
- Copy for habitat explanations with HAB definitions -- Berkshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy.pdf (178 KB) (pdf)
Sign up to our mailing list
Responsible Authority
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Email bnc@rbwm.gov.uk
Supporting Authorities
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Supporting Authority
BF -
Supporting Authority
RB -
Supporting Authority
SB -
Supporting Authority
WB -
Supporting Authority
Email ecology@wokingham.gov.uk
Stakeholder Engagement Results
- Bracknell workshop draft summary of info 100424.pdf (616 KB) (pdf)
- Maidenhead workshop draft summary of info 080424.pdf (619 KB) (pdf)
- Wokingham workshop draft summary of info 200424.docx (23.9 MB) (docx)
- Slough workshop draft summary of info 160424.pdf (753 KB) (pdf)
- West Berks workshop draft summary of info 230424.pdf (705 KB) (pdf)
- Reading workshop draft summary of info 250424.pdf (877 KB) (pdf)
- Central Berks Farmers.Landowners Workshop Summary of info.pdf (484 KB) (pdf)
- West Berks Farmers.Landowners Workshop Summary of info.pdf (408 KB) (pdf)
- East Berks Farmers.Landowners Workshop Summary of info.pdf (401 KB) (pdf)
Archive of newsletters
- Berkshire Nature Recovery August 24 Update
- Berkshire Nature Recovery - June 24 Update
- Berkshire Nature Recovery - May 24 update
- Berkshire Nature Recovery April 24 update
- Berkshire Nature Recovery March 24 update
- Berkshire Nature Recovery February 24 update
- Berkshire Nature Recovery January 24 update
Berkshire Nature Recovery Media features
Introductory Webinars - Slides
- Berkshire Nature Recovery Introductory Webinar - Farmers, Landowners, Foresters and Land managers.pdf (2.3 MB) (pdf)
- Berkshire Nature Recovery Introductory Webinars - Interested Residents.pdf (2.28 MB) (pdf)
- Berkshire Nature Recovery Introductory Webinars - NGOs.pdf (2.31 MB) (pdf)
- Berkshire Nature Recovery Introductory Webinars - Councillors.pdf (2.21 MB) (pdf)
- Berkshire Nature Recovery Introductory Webinars - Public Bodies.pdf (2.31 MB) (pdf)
- Berkshire Nature Recovery Introductory Webinars - Businesses.pdf (2.28 MB) (pdf)
- Berkshire Nature Recovery Introductory Webinars - Developers.pdf (2.25 MB) (pdf)
Introductory Webinars - Recordings
- An introductory video to the Berkshire Nature Recovery Strategy, specifically for those representing local residents of Berkshire.
- An introductory video to the Berkshire Nature Recovery Strategy, specifically for those representing NGOs
- An introductory video to the Berkshire Nature Recovery Strategy, specifically for those representing local farmers, landowners, foresters and land managers.
- An introductory video to the Berkshire Nature Recovery Strategy, specifically for those representing local borough, town and parish councils.
- An introductory video to the Berkshire Nature Recovery Strategy, specifically for those representing local businesses.