The LNRS is being developed by Staffordshire County Council, working closely with Stoke-on-Trent City Council, district and borough councils in the county, the Peak District National Park Authority and Natural England, alongside other partners.
Consultation on the Draft LNRS is taking place between 1st June and 27th July 2026. Further information can be found on the LNRS website
The purpose of the LNRS
- 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.
Why do we need a LNRS?
The State of Nature Report 2023 (State of Nature 2023 - report on the UK’s current biodiversity) identifies Great Britain is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, with nearly one in six species threatened with extinction. Like much of the UK, nature is under pressure in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent too.
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.
Helping nature help us
By helping nature, we are also helping ourselves. Nature provides important goods and services that support our wellbeing and quality of life. From the insects that pollinate our food crops, to trees soaking up rainwater and storing carbon, nature is essential to us.
Nature is part of the life supporting systems of soil health, water quality and air quality.
What the LNRS will be used for
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.
The LNRS will set out priority outcomes and actions, as well as short term targets to support nature recovery in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
Where possible, the strategy will seek to support delivery of national targets identified by Government, including to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030, and protect 30% of UK land for biodiversity by 2030.
Development and delivery of the LNRS
The Local Nature Recovery Strategy has been developed in consultation and collaboration with a wide range of partners, including:
- Landowners
- Farmers
- Supporting authorities
- Regulatory bodies
- Neighbouring regional authorities
- Communities
- Businesses
- Environmental bodies
We will continue to engage with stakeholders throughout the development process and seek their input and feedback. We will also keep our residents and communities updated on our progress via our website and other communication channels.
By working together, we will develop a Local Nature Recovery Strategy that reflects the needs and priorities of our community and helps to ensure a healthy and thriving natural environment for future generations.
Who is responsible for the development and delivery of the LNRS
The below list shows the Responsible Authority and Supporting Authorities involved in developing the Local Nature Recovery Strategy:
- Staffordshire County Council (Responsible Authority)
- Stoke-on-Trent City Council (Supporting Authority)
- Stafford Borough Council (Supporting Authority)
- East Staffordshire District Council (Supporting Authority)
- South Staffordshire District Council (Supporting Authority)
- Staffordshire Moorlands District Council (Supporting Authority)
- Newcastle Borough Council (Supporting Authority)
- Lichfield District Council (Supporting Authority)
- Tamworth Borough Council (Supporting Authority)
- Cannock Chase District Council (Supporting Authority)
- Peak District National Park Authority (Supporting Authority)
- Natural England
Get in touch
If you would like to speak to someone regarding the Local Nature Recovery Strategy please email: lnrs@staffordshire.gov.uk