In August 2020 the government announced that Cumbria will be 1 of 5 Pilot areas trialling the development of a Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS).  

The purpose of the LNRS is to restore and link up habitats so that species can thrive, and agree the best places to help nature recover, plant trees and woodland, restore peatland, mitigate flood and fire risk, and create green spaces for local people to enjoy.   With an agreed LNRS in place, the nature recovery work of everyone in Cumbria  - from the  designated landscapes and large conservation partnerships, to farmers, local businesses and community groups- can help to deliver a bigger, better and more joined up nature recovery network across the whole of the county.

Cumbria County Council is leading this project.  Working with a wide range of partnerships, organisations and individuals that have an interest or influence in nature recovery will be key to developing an effective strategy for the county.   

Following a series of stakeholder engagement events, the draft LNRS was submitted to Defra in May 2021 when the Pilot schemes came to an end.  We have published the draft Cumbria LNRS below, so that people are able to read the Statement of Biodiversity Priorities and access the Local Habitat Map, which is available on the Cumbria Biodiversity Centre Website: CLNRN Story Map - Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre (cbdc.org.uk).

These are the outputs of the Cumbria LNRS Pilot and not formal adopted documents.  Learning from all 5 Pilots will be used to inform the final legislation and guidance that will be issued when production of a LNRS becomes a statutory requirement for all local authorities in England.   The final Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Cumbria will therefore not be completed or adopted until after this official roll-out commences. There will be further opportunities for consultation and engagement as work on developing the LNRS for Cumbria progresses.

Regular update bulletins and further information will be posted here.  To sign up for updates or for more information on how to get involved with the Cumbria LNRS please contact the Cumbria LNRS project manager: 

Angela Wakefield
Email: lnrs@cumbria.gov.uk

Bulletins and further information

 Title  Date  Size
14/09/2021 296k
14/09/2021 481k
16/09/2021 1950k
16/09/2021 641k
16/09/2021 489k
16/09/2021 1946k
16/09/2021 1232k
16/09/2021 1574k
16/09/2021 56k
16/09/2021 2366k
16/09/2021 187k
16/09/2021 8683k
1/02/2021 4022k
5/03/2021 1233k
4/11/2020 293k
22/07/2021 91k
22/07/2021 462k
6/11/2020 245k
1/09/2020 342k
5/03/2021 923k
5/11/2020 2111k
21/04/2021 3650k