Bedfordshire’s natural environment is one of its greatest strengths. It provides natural resources that are important for health and wellbeing, helps build strong communities, and supports the local economy.
However, the environment is facing more pressure as the climate warms. Bedfordshire is in the middle of a biodiversity and climate crisis, and these 2 issues are closely connected. Local nature recovery strategies aim to create more, bigger, better, and more joined-up habitats and help wildlife recover.
In 2023, the government appointed responsible authorities to deliver local nature recovery strategies (LNRS). There will be 48 of these across England, largely following county boundaries. These locally-led strategies will identify key actions and locations for restoring nature and benefiting people through the services nature provides.
Nature is vital to our health, wellbeing, and prosperity. It provides the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the spaces we enjoy. Yet across Bedfordshire, as in much of the UK, our natural environment is under pressure — from habitat loss, pollution, climate change, and urban expansion.
Share your views on our draft LNRS
We've been appointed the responsible authority for Bedfordshire’s LNRS and are working with Luton Borough Council, Bedford Borough Council, and various other stakeholders. We've outlined a shared, long-term vision to restore and enhance nature across Bedfordshire.
The strategy sets out priority outcomes and actions developed by local stakeholders to tackle the challenges nature faces in each county and how they contribute to national nature recovery goals.
This strategy must include:
- Statement of Biodiversity Priorities – what the strategy is seeking to achieve and how these could be delivered
- local habitat map – includes the most valuable existing sites for nature and opportunity areas where habitats can be created and expanded
Working with partners, we have developed a draft strategy. We invite you to share your views to help shape this vital work. We want to ensure that the strategy is clear and usable for those who aim to deliver nature recovery. We also want to ensure we haven’t overlooked any key priorities and that they are achievable.
The consultation will run from 1 July to 7 September 2025.
Visit our LNRS website to find out more and have your say.
Who the strategy is for
This strategy is for everyone. Whether you’re a landowner, farmer, developer, resident, community group, business or school, nature recovery needs your involvement.
The LNRS provides a framework to guide decision-making, funding and action. It helps identify where efforts to support nature will have the most benefit and how different sectors can contribute.
Local habitat map