The Nature Recovery Network

The Nature Recovery Network (NRN) is a national network of wildlife-rich places. The aim is to expand, improve and connect wild places across the cities, towns, countryside and coast of England to allow nature space to thrive. The Lawton Review of England’s wildlife sites, published in 2010, identified the need for a ‘coherent and resilient ecological network’ that is lacking in a landscape where wildlife sites are small and isolated.

‘Bigger, better, more joined up’ natural spaces were the headline recommendations of the review, and it has underpinned some key developments in conservation over the past 12 years including:

• The development of farmer clusters and their funding by Defra through Countryside Stewardship
• The Wildlife Trusts Living Landscapes approach to conservation
• The AONB’s 2019 Colchester Declaration of intention to become more than the sum of their parts
• The collaborative Catchment Based Approach to improving the water environment

The NRN is a major commitment in the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan and elements of the 2021 Environment Act are designed to support it as a statutory priority.

Wiltshire’s central location and unique combination of habitats makes us a key player in this Network. Working together within the county and with our neighbouring areas will enable the shared vision of nature recovery at landscape scale to become a reality.