Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) mapping for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (2023-25) 

NCS led a team on the Bedfordshire LNRS Blue Lens project. This project focussed on identifying and mapping a series of opportunities that would enhance the freshwater environment both in terms of its contribution to nature recovery (through building nature networks), and through providing wider environmental benefits that meet the various water challenges in the Upper and Bedford Ouse Catchments (nutrient pollution from agriculture, flooding and low flows, and wetland loss). The aim was to ensure that considerations around the water environment could be brought into the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) process in Bedfordshire. A variety of GIS processes were employed alongside the habitat opportunity mapping, e.g. hydromorphological pressure and condition mapping, river obstacles analysis, hydrological modelling, and leaky dams analysis. These were all brought together to produce maps of the opportunities for habitat creation, restoration and nature-based solutions that would meet the water challenges in the catchments. Stakeholder input was integrated into the process through workshops and meetings. 

NCS were commissioned by the North Northamptonshire Responsible Authority to produce the mapping layers for the Local Habitat Map. This built on many years of work completed in the area around opportunity mapping for biodiversity and wider environmental benefits, and other projects. For the LNRS we produced GIS layers of numerous measures to create the Areas that Could Become Important for Biodiversity map. The North Northamptonshire LNRS was only the second across England to be fully completed and published, and was commended by Natural England and others for the quality of its mapping.  

NCS were commissioned to manage the pre-and post-public consultation LNRS development process, provide the mapped evidence base and co-write the strategy text for the Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes LNRS. NCS produced maps of the location, extent and condition of habitats across the region, before using opportunity mapping to highlight the best locations to create or restore habitats related to the priorities and measures for the region. NCS also created maps showing the best opportunities to enhance the provision of a range of ecosystem services, along with a range of other opportunities. Maps were analysed and summarised for different National Character Area zones across the study area and weighted by stakeholder priorities.  

NCS also created a web-based interactive portal to display all of the maps. This will be publicly accessible when the LNRS is published and the draft output was available for users during the recent public consultation. NCS also created a StoryMap of the draft LNRS for consultation. NCS prepared and delivered all LNRS outputs ready for public consultation, in line with the Statutory Guidance (Sections 104-6 of the Environment Act 2021) and Buckinghamshire Council’s Accessibility Standards, and assisted with delivery and communications. This included report writing, editing, oversight and task allocation of all LNRS outputs, and writing the Priorities and Measures, Stakeholder Engagement and LRNS methodology statement outputs.