In June the Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) covering West Sussex, East Sussex and Brighton & Hove were published - two of 48 strategies developed to cover the whole of England.
Since then, East Sussex County Council and West Sussex County Council have been working through four new tasks given to all LNRS Responsible Authorities (RAs) by Defra to understand what they entail, how they might work in practice, and how the Sussex Nature Recovery team (the existing collaboration between the two councils) will need to adapt.
A local conversation about local needs
Importantly, as our nature recovery sector is already very active and busy, a workshop was held in June with over 40 organisations to hear first-hand how and where those already working in land management, forestry, climate, agriculture and water in Sussex believe a new delivery role can most effectively add value. This workshop was just the start; conversations with other projects and initiatives at all scales are underway with more to be arranged.
Task 1. Lead and convene a delivery partnership to plan and prioritise delivery.
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RAs have been tasked to set up a delivery partnership, or build on an existing one, which can increase, accelerate or add value to the most impactful nature recovery initiatives in the area. RAs are expected to provide direction to this partnership.
What we've learnt:
- Workshop attendees felt the Sussex Nature Partnership - active for over 10 years and with a strong legacy of relationship building - was the best vehicle for this. While there was no appetite for a new partnership, attendees agreed that the Sussex Nature Partnership would need to be refreshed and properly staffed to undertake this role.
What we're doing:
- As both the Sussex Nature Partnership and the Sussex Nature Recovery team need to adapt and evolve, functions and work streams are being detailed, job descriptions are being drafted and new governance structures are being agreed. However, the two RAs remain committed to working collaboratively across the whole of Sussex to maximise benefits, share resources and best practice, and make it easier for stakeholders working across the two counties to engage.
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Task 2. Embed the LNRS into decision making
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LNRSs guide and enable voluntary action but also carry legal weight within the planning system. Briefly put, public authorities need to ‘have regard’ to them, all development plans must ‘take account’ of them, and other environmental plans and strategies must have links to their relevant LNRS (find out more).
What we're doing:
- The team has been meeting with relevant departments in their own organisations as well all Sussex district and borough councils, Brighton & Hove City Council, and protected landscapes to see what support is needed to embed the LNRS. Conversations with catchment partnerships and others have also begun.
- These conversations will inform training, guidance and materials that will be developed to support decision making at all levels.
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Task 3. Identify, develop and publicise projects that contribute to LNRS delivery
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RAs have been tasked to identify and help shape potential nature recovery projects using the LNRS, helping them and relevant existing projects to get ready for delivery via, for example, project development support, help to navigate the planning process and signposting to potential funding.
What we've learnt
- Workshop attendees shared key blockers to delivering nature and environmental projects. These included gaps in funding, skills and resources, lack of coordination and duplicated efforts across the system, along with other issues such as consents & licenses and the time needed to build trust with landowners.
- Attendees also provided a steer on where to focus efforts both geographically and within key themes.
What we're doing
- The team are considering how best to address blockers to enable delivery organisations to do more, and more effectively, with a focus on bringing greater coherence, capacity and capability to the sector.
- We are also starting to visit projects and community action mapped in the LNRS to better understand what they are doing and how we can support them in their work.
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Task 4. Monitor and report on delivery of nature recovery activities in the LNRS area
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RAs are tasked to supplement national reporting by collecting information about actions taken for nature’s recovery and wider environmental benefits.
What we've learnt
- While some projects already undertake and share reporting on what, where and how action for nature has been taken, in practice, standardised activity monitoring can be difficult to implement at scale and can place additional burdens on already stretched resources.
What we're doing
- The RAs are keen to ensure that any new reporting system that meets Defra's minimum reporting requirements is designed, as much as possible, with the sector, is not too onerous and produces outputs that are beneficial to those taking part.
More information about how the four new responsibilities are being interpreted and put into practice will follow over the next few months.
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