GREEN-FINGERED county residents are being urged to help shape a brand new pioneering strategy to help the county’s nature recover.
The public consultation on the scheme – aimed at helping protect and improve the local environment. was launched by Worcestershire County Council on Monday (January 15).
The Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for Worcestershire will be one of 48 across England and key in the delivery of a national Nature Recovery Network of sites.
The LNRS is a new type of plan for nature and environmental improvement. They are a legal requirement of the Environment Act 2021 and Worcestershire County Council has been appointed as the Responsible Authority to lead the preparation of Worcestershire’s LNRS, supported by the six District Councils and Natural England.
Each LNRS will contain a locally agreed Statement of Biodiversity Priorities and a Local Habitat Map. Once adopted, the LNRS will be a way for anyone to view the agreed nature recovery priorities in a location and determine what practical action could be delivered to achieve those priorities.
Coun Richard Morris, Worcestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “This strategy will show our vision for protecting and enhancing Worcestershire’s wonderful environment.
“The potential for Worcestershire to contribute to this Nature Recovery Network is vast, with our nationally important wildflower meadows, traditional orchards, ancient woodlands and trees, and floodplain habitats such as wet grassland, fen, marsh and wet woodland.
“Equally important are the valuable pockets of nature-rich habitat within our towns and villages, where people can see, hear and experience nature on their doorstep.”
He urged people, schools. volunteer organisations and businesses to show the county council how they could contribute – whether it was a new meadow, tree planting, wetland, support for hedgehogs or anything else to have a positive impact on the environment.
This first stage of the consultation process asks Worcestershire residents what the local threats and priorities should be for nature’s recovery and where the opportunities were within the county to deliver more, bigger and better improvements for nature.
Visit worcestershire.gov.uk/lnrs to take part in the consultation, which runs until February 23.
There will then be a second stage of the consultation, later this year, on a full draft of the strategy.
