Meeting the ambitions of our long-term Environmental Growth Strategy needs clear and well-evidenced priorities on how and where in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly we should take action to recover nature.

We need a blueprint for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly which identifies how we can protect, enhance, create and restore nature. A short-tern strategy that will lay out how we can take steps to reach our goal that 30% of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are well-managed for nature by 2030.

This is where the Local Nature Recovery Strategy comes in.

It will help us to tackle the ecological emergency by ensuring that nature is bigger, better and more joined up - kickstarting the recovery of nature to support our wildlife, wellbeing and prosperity. When we do more for nature, nature does more for us.

What is a 'Local Nature Recovery Strategy'?

Local Nature Recovery Strategies are locally-led plans for growing and recovering nature. They consist of:

• a map of the most valuable areas for wildlife presently
• opportunities to improve nature in the future, and
• our local short-term priorities

Cornwall Council is leading on the creation of a new Nature Recovery Strategy for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, in partnership with the Local Nature Partnership and the Council of the Isles of Scilly.

When completed, the strategy will become a blueprint for the recovery of nature, showing how and where we can support things like wildflowers, woodlands, wetlands and wider and wilder hedges and edges.

The strategies are statutory requirements of the Environment Act. This means that local areas must develop them, and report on the progress of the strategy every three to ten years.

How to get involved?

It is important that Local Nature Recovery Strategies are developed alongside our communities and represent the wide range of views, needs and opinions from across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

That is why we have launched a wide-ranging engagement campaign. Over the next few months, we will be hosting workshops, webinars and discussions as we seek to understand WHERE, WHY and HOW nature can be recovered and grow across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

You can get involved by:

• Telling us where you think nature should be recovered on our Interactive Map
• Letting us know about events and opportunities to discuss the Local Nature Recovery Strategy at grow-nature@cornwall.gov.uk
• Keeping in touch via our E-mail Newsletter for updates, including how to take part in the public consultation of the draft Local Nature Recovery Strategy in Spring/Summer 2024
• Were you involved in Cornwall's Nature Recovery Pilot? We welcome feedback on the draft by getting in touch at grow-nature@cornwall.gov.uk

Our public survey has now closed. Thank you to the 1,200+ people who responded. We are now in the process of analysing the responses. For updates, please sign up to our E-mail Newsletter.

How will the strategy help recover nature?

It will be a blueprint for nature recovery across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly that will help prioritise where and how to invest and take action in the short-term. In so doing, it will be a crucial delivery plan for the long-term ambitions of our Environmental Growth Strategy.

It will do this by helping to guide:

• Planning and development: It will guide how and where developers will deliver their new Biodiversity Net Gain duties - including the delivery of biodiversity offsetting and by identifying spatial allocations for nature. (See Cornwall's Climate Emergency Development Planning Document and Local Plan and the Isles of Scilly Local Plan.)
• Agri-environment funding: It will help shape the local roll out of the new Environmental Land Management Scheme and existing Farming in Protected Landscapes funding across Cornwall, Isles of Scilly and the Tamar Valley AONBs.
• Nature-based solutions: It will strengthen local ambitions for nature-based solutions to climate change (in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly) and flooding (in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly) by identifying priority areas for trees, wetlands and other key habitats.
• Investment: It will help to attract and guide future investment for nature recovery in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, including through the new LINC programme.

Find out more by watching our launch webinar:

Farming and the Local Nature Recovery Strategy

Farmers and landowners have been custodians of the land for generations, and it is recognised that they are passionate about living within nature and preserving wildlife on their land.

Find our farmer focused resource specific to the LNRS here. The page has a comprehensive frequently asked questions resource.

Engagement for the Local Nature Recovery Strategy

Over the last year, thousands of partners, organisations, businesses, farmers and local residents have input into the development process, highlighting the priorities for the region and what they want to see in the strategy. The team behind the strategy have been from Bude to Penzance and across the sea to all the inhabited islands of the Isles of Scilly to ensure as many voices as possible have been heard. Throughout the process a range of engagement tools have been used including surveys, a public roadshow, workshops, leaflets, engagement with and via intermediaries, events and partnership meetings.

Find out more here.

How Will Opportunity Areas Be Mapped?

The University of Exeter are creating our nature recovery opportunity maps. The maps will identify where we can make nature bigger, better and more joined up. To do this the University are taking a species-led conservation planning approach. They have engaged with local taxonomic and species experts. This has helped inform which wildlife to focus on.

Interested in finding out more? Watch our webinar below:

What was Cornwall's Nature Recovery Pilot?

Cornwall was one of only 5 areas to test the creation of a draft Local Nature Recovery Strategy. In late 2020 to early 2021 we worked with local stakeholders to create a first draft of local opportunities, priorities and a map of nature in Cornwall.

Coordination was led by Cornwall Council, and co-developed by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Nature Partnership and the Cornwall and Tamar Valley Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. We engaged with a over 700 members of the public and local stakeholders across Cornwall who generously gave their time and knowledge to help shape the draft.

• Draft Cornwall Local Nature Recovery Strategy | Plain text draft Local Nature Recovery Strategy
• Appendix 1: Cornwall State of Nature analysis
• Appendix 2: Methodology
• If you require this in an alternative format, please get in touch with us at grow-nature@cornwall.gov.uk