What is the Local Nature Recovery Strategy?

The Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) is a new spatial strategy to improve nature in Surrey, aiming to:

• Reconnect as much of the local habitat as possible to create larger, better-managed, and more joined-up areas for nature. 
• Ensure improved management of existing designated sites to provide better habitat for key species. 
• Where possible, ensure these areas also provide other environmental benefits such as: flood alleviation, water storage, carbon sequestration (soaking up carbon from the atmosphere), shelter, pollution filters
• To better engage the community with nature-rich spaces for health and wellbeing.

Surrey County Council have been appointed as the Responsible Authority, working with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure the LNRS is produced, formally adopted, and reviewed.  

You can find out more about the Local Nature Recovery Strategy by watching our launch webinar:

Who are we?

Our partnership is made up of our Steering Board plus several 'working groups', that are responsible for taking our work forward in particular areas. These groups are made up of individuals and organisations which have extensive expertise in ecology and habitat recovery. 

The following organisations are members of the steering group:  

• Surrey County Council 
• Surrey Nature Partnership 
• Surrey Wildlife Trust 
• Surrey Biodiversity Information Centre 
• Guildford Borough Council (representing Local Planning Authorities in Surrey) 
• Natural England 
• Forestry Commission 
• Environment Agency 
• National Farmers Union (NFU)
• Country Land and Business Association (CLA) 
• Surrey Hills National Landscape 
• Hampton Estate  

The delivery of the strategy will be managed by three separate working groups.  

A Stakeholder Engagement and Design Group – that will ensure everyone who is interested has a chance to participate. This will be led by Surrey Nature Partnership. 

A Data and Mapping Technical Group – responsible for gathering together all of the information about habitats to ensure sound decisions and realistic priorities are put forward. This will be led by the Surrey Nature Recovery Lead. 

A Species Technical Group – leading the way on creating a plan that works for all different species groups and some 1,500-plus different types of plants, animals, birds, insects and fungi, some incredibly scare, who make Surrey their home. This will be led by Surrey Wildlife Trust. 

How are we funding the strategy?

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) are providing each Responsible Authority with additional funding to support the development of Local Nature Recovery Strategies. 

Surrey County Council and Surrey Nature Recovery partner organisations are also supporting the gathering of local evidence to support the strategy. 

We are working closely with our partners across Surrey, including eleven district and borough councils and Natural England to make sure we develop a solid plan that is in line with DEFRA's funding policy.

Find out how you can shape our plan!

We want everyone in Surrey talking about nature recovery. Your input and feedback is essential when shaping the plans to restore habitats and help protect species across Surrey.

There are many ways to get involved, lots of these are through getting stuck in via the exciting activities and volunteer initiatives run by our partners. 

We will soon be launching the statutory consultation and inviting formal representations on the draft final strategy. Please do come back when it's available and have your voice heard.

Your comments will be taken into consideration when we create the priorities and actions for Surrey.

Over the next few months, we will be hosting events where you can come along and meet the team in person to learn more about the plan. 

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