Oxfordshire's draft Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) consultation - phase 3
Welcome to the consultation page for the draft Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS). Earlier in February and March 2024 we asked people and organisations in Oxfordshire about their priorities for nature’s recovery (see phase 1). In May 2024 we also collected information about specific locations where people and organisations are planning actions to recover biodiversity in Oxfordshire (see phase 2). Now we have used this information to create draft versions of the LNRS documents and a map which you can find within this consultation page.
The drafted documents and draft map aim to summarise the top biodiversity priorities to people and organisations in Oxfordshire. The draft map also aims to identify specific locations where some of these actions could be delivered to create 'areas that could become of particular importance to biodiversity' in the future.
This page contains questions (see bottom of page) which invite you to tell the LNRS team about your thoughts on the priorities, actions, and locations which have been drafted so far. Hearing your thoughts on these draft documents and the draft map will help us to create a final Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Oxfordshire in 2025.
Background
“Biodiversity” is a term that refers to the variety of all life, including plants, animals, fungi, and micro-organisms. A stable and healthy variety of species provides us with everything necessary for survival, from fresh water, clean air, and climate regulation to food and medicines and much more. These benefits do not come from individual species but from a rich variety of species working together.
Authorities across England have been appointed by government to create these Local Nature Recovery Strategies and government expect that these will create a set of strategies which, together will help to join up national efforts to reverse the decline of biodiversity. (Defra 2023)
Priorities, actions, and locations recommended within LNRSs are designed to achieve the top priorities of local people and organisations by attracting funding, and playing a role in local planning. Some of these actions (where they could significantly help biodiversity) have been mapped to specific locations in the county, but many actions from the draft statement of biodiversity priorities should be taken widely across the county and so not all are mapped out.
The LNRS documents and map aim to help people and organisations in Oxfordshire to decide how, and possibly where, to create, restore, or improve habitats that can particularly help biodiversity. The actions and priorities all focus on improving biodiversity and by achieving them, those actions also offer important wider benefits to people and the environment. For example, improving soil health is a priority that can help animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms in the soil. Whilst the priority focuses on improving biodiversity, the results of achieving this could also improve things like food production in those places, carbon capture (something that healthy soils can do well), and could help reduce flooding.
More information
On the LNRS webpage, you can find further information about what the strategy is expected to create, how the strategy was developed, and documents which explain certain processes that were followed, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and documents which define some of the words that we have used in the LNRS.
How to have your say
You will find the LNRS Consultation Survey (phase 3) at the bottom of this webpage, where you can tell us whether you think the written documents are about right, or whether you would recommend changes before we create the final version of this strategy in 2025. It is therefore important that you read the documents before you start the survey. These can be found in the 'Documents' section of this page, and are also linked to throughout the consultation questions.
The documents are:
1. Draft Statement of Biodiversity Priorities
2. Draft Species Priorities List
3. Draft Description of the Strategy Area
4. Draft Local Habitat Map LNRS Draft Local Habitat Map (arcgis.com)
Local habitat map:
To view and comment on the draft local habitat map, click this link: LNRS Draft Local Habitat Map (arcgis.com). This map shows a suggested area where habitat creation and improvement actions could be delivered to offer the greatest benefit towards local biodiversity priorities. This is a draft version so you can add comments directly onto the map to tell us about locations where you agree, disagree, or have something else to say about the areas where we have mapped actions to support biodiversity.
We have created 3 videos (each with transcripts) to explain more about how to use the map tool. You can click on any of these links to find out more:
- Video 1 - an introduction to how to use the map, zoom, navigate, change the background map, find the LNRS recommended potential measures (actions), and how to leave comments on the map (transcript).
- Video 2 - an explanation of how to find all the various LNRS map data held within the map tool (transcript).
- Video 3 - a video about wider biodiversity information to help people who want to take biodiversity actions across the whole county and are not in the LNRS mapped area (transcript).
Paper copies
Where possible, please submit your response online. If you would like to view the full set of questions before you fill in answers (or download a paper copy to complete), you can find the LNRS Consultation Survey (phase 3) document in the 'Documents' section on this page.
Comments on the map should be added by using this link: LNRS Draft Local Habitat Map (arcgis.com).
LNRS timeline
On this page there's a section called 'LNRS timeline' which shows the overall steps and timings for creating and publishing Oxfordshire's first LNRS. This consultation is 'phase 3' and our next step will be to use the responses to this consultation to create a final version of this LNRS to publish online in 2025. In the future, government expect these LNRSs to be monitored, reviewed, and republished every 3-10 years.
Contact us
You can contact the LNRS project team by emailing: localnaturerecoverystrategy@oxfordshire.gov.uk
