Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) are being used to help local authorities restore biodiversity, protect existing habitats, and tackle ecological decline. The following guide explains what LNRS are, and why consultation matters. It also explores how GovTech tools can be used to deliver effective engagement activities that contribute to meaningful environmental recovery.
What is a Local Nature Recovery Strategy?
England is considered to be one of the most environmentally depleted countries in the world. Decades of declining biodiversity, damage to habitats and the erosion of ecosystems mean now is the time to act. Without decisive action, much of the damage already done will become permanent and irreversible. Clean water, food production and good air quality could easily become luxuries, rather than basic expectations.
LNRS are also designed to contribute to the Nature Recovery Network (NRN); a national initiative led by Natural England. The NRN is a long-term vision for expanding, improving, and connecting habitats across England. Each LNRS acts as a building block within this wider network, ensuring that local action adds up to meaningful national change.
To tackle this, in 2022 the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs appointed 48 local authorities to lead on preparing Local Nature Recovery Strategies for their areas. LNRS can bring together national data and best practice with area knowledge and expertise through bringing local leadership in to tackle the issue.
LNRS represent a significant and often lengthy environmental planning requirement, with every strategy required to contain:
- A map of local habitats.
- Priorities for maintaining and restoring biodiversity.
From the restoration of bogs and wetlands to reforestation, the exact priorities identified and actions taken may vary significantly from area to area. This variety is in fact the strength of LNRS, allowing approaches to take into account local context and area-specific habitats.
For the 48 authorities involved, producing an LNRS may seem daunting due to the complexities associated with such a multifaceted planning requirement. However, it’s vital that they are more than a simple box-ticking exercise but creates real, nature recovery action.
The necessity of consultation for LNRS
LNRS must be prepared according to specific regulations, which dictate that the responsible authorities work alongside Natural England and local planning authorities. Crucially, the regulation also dictates that these responsible authorities must:
- Identify other groups that should be involved, including landowners, environmental groups and relevant businesses.
- Carry out a public consultation before publication of any strategy.
- Demonstrate how public feedback has been used within the process of producing the LNRS, and publish updates throughout.
Consulting a wide range of groups is not only legally required, but essential to the success of the process. Often, they can provide valuable local insight. For example, local wildlife trusts often hold detailed information about habitats and species that are specific to areas. Local community groups may be more aware of places where waterways are polluted or woodlands degraded. Landowners may provide important information about land access and other practical considerations, ensuring that strategies are grounded in what is realistic and achievable.
Public consultation is also very valuable to LNRS. The public may help to identify opportunities and issues that are not apparent from technical data alone. For example, certain areas of land may be more suitable for rewilding or habitat creation than others, depending on current use.
By engaging effectively, responsible authorities can ensure that strategies balance the needs of individuals and communities with the wider goals of protecting nature and reducing pollutants.
Challenges of consulting on a local nature recovery strategy
Despite how beneficial consultation can be for LNRS, it is still a relatively challenging type of consultation from the perspective of facilitators. Statutory obligations must be followed very carefully to ensure legal compliance, for example. Other challenges include:
Diverse range of stakeholders
While having a diverse range of stakeholders can be very valuable, it also means taking several different approaches to communication and setting different expectations for different stakeholder groups.
The type of information and engagement expected from an environmental agency is vastly different to a member of the public. Someone representing a nature charity may have very different engagement needs to a local business. It is therefore very important to map stakeholders in a consultation of this complexity.
Geospatial complexity
Although LNRS are by definition ‘local’, they also span very large areas. Some are the size of entire counties, or even larger. It is perhaps unsurprising then that they are challenging to map in a meaningful way.
Mapping these areas requires multiple layers, with varying levels of detail. For example, a plan may map where all the washlands are. It may also map where all the habitats of a certain endangered animal are, or what areas are prone to flooding. All of these things may map on top of one another, with some areas as small as a back garden and others spanning miles. It is therefore essential to have sophisticated geospatial mapping tools when producing local habitat maps and planning nature recovery action.
Major LNRS using Citizen Space
Citizen Space has been used by local authorities to run their Local Nature Recovery Strategies since DEFRA’s foundational LNRS implementation consultation in 2021.
Since then, it has been used by councils and combined authorities across the country, from Essex to Somerset. In Liverpool, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) recently used Citizen Space to consult on their LNRS. They were given a dedicated landing page in order to run multiple surveys, events and engagement activities.
Their public consultation has now closed, and they are in the phase of developing their full plan for nature recovery based on the responses they received. Earlier consultation – with both the public and environmental groups – resulted in an in-depth habitat map produced using geospatial data.
“To deliver a successful public consultation we needed to build a complex map functionality. Our Customer Success Manager ensured we found a technical solution but, more importantly, that it was a simple user journey. We were offered the support we needed to ensure we delivered a first class offer to citizens” – Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
Why Choose Citizen Space to run LNRS consultations?
Authorities considering using Citizen Space to consult on their Local Nature Recovery Strategy would be in good company. From the platform’s advanced geospatial technology to the ability to manage stakeholder relationships in one central hub, Citizen Space is purpose-built for this type of complex, data-driven consultation process.
Sophisticated geospatial capabilities
Citizen Space’s geospatial capabilities are what set it apart as a platform for developing Local Nature Recovery Strategies. As mentioned above, one of the most important (and legally required) elements of a LNRS is a habitat map. For the consultation phase to run well, it is important that this map is freely available, easy to understand and simple to adapt. Citizen Space offers native map integration for this purpose, avoiding the need for complicated external workarounds. Using map integration, facilitators can easily embed information about different habitats, biodiversity, land use and other relevant environmental data into the consultation.
Mapping data can have a big impact on the way the public interacts with a consultation. It can transform a dry, text-heavy exercise into an accessible and interactive experience. Respondents can easily zoom in and out, adding and removing layers, and comment on specific locations. They can also draw shapes, routes or drop pins. In the context of a LNRS, this is particularly useful. For example, within an area drawn as a flood plane, a respondent may want to drop a pin on locations they have seen certain species. This functionality significantly reduces the ambiguity provided by descriptions of locations alone.
Citizen Space is designed to handle very large datasets, such as habitat inventories, species distribution and land cover data. This information can then be translated into an easily understood format.
The legal bit: statutory compliance as a baseline
When a consultation is a statutory requirement, it is especially important to get the legal bits right. Citizen Space has many of those requirements pre-built into the platform, reducing the burden for facilitators. For example, the platform adheres to WCAG 2.2 accessibility standards across all functions. This ensures that users can access the relevant information regardless of their differing needs. Statutory consultations must meet current accessibility standards to be considered legitimate, so using a platform that meets these standards is essential.
Similarly, data collected via a public consultation must be kept securely, meeting current data protection requirements. In a time where cyber-attacks are increasingly common, using secure, purpose built platforms is necessary to ensure participant details are never compromised.
Easier stakeholder management
Citizen Space simplifies stakeholder management by bringing participant activity into a single, central hub that is easy to navigate. Before the use of govtech platforms, facilitators would run surveys, events, and contextual information across multiple channels. Now, it is possible to present all this in a single space, making it easier for stakeholders to find and engage with the information that matters to them.
The platform can take complex material and present it in a clear, digestible format that remains easy for non-specialists to navigate. Detailed environmental evidence is still accessible for relevant experts, while simplified briefings can be given to help the public navigate unfamiliar policy areas. This enables the public to engage with a consultation on equal terms.
Citizen Space also makes it simple to link related consultations and information, so participants can easily see how different pieces of work fit together. This creates a more coherent engagement journey, and demonstrates greater transparency.
Improving efficiency and reducing costs
Using a govtech platform like Citizen Space can significantly increase efficiency in the consultation process. The use of digital tools to both input and analyse vast amounts of data greatly reduces the administrative burden of producing a LNRS. As the expected timeline for a LNRS is around 12-18 months, these time-saving measures are vital to the success of the consultation phase.
Templates can be set up within Citizen Space, so even the time spent setting up a consultation need not be repeated. This will save even more time for facilitators, when the LNRS is reviewed in 3-10 years.
Saving time is not the only benefit. By reducing unnecessary and repetitive labour, the cost of a given consultation can be significantly lowered. In a time where many councils are working to tight budgets, this cost-saving can be a very important factor.
Citizen Space is the go-to platform for connecting governments, developers, and citizens. If you’d like to learn more about how our software can support consulting on Local Nature Recovery Strategies, book a free demo and we’ll walk you through it.
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