23 habitat priorities and 7 guiding principles published

Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) aim to agree the priorities for nature recovery and propose actions in the locations where particular impact can be made to achieve them.

Gathering a long list of priorities and the shortlisting process

Over the last year, a long list of more than 130 habitat priorities was gathered from multiple sources including: 

• Published plans and strategies (such as Sussex-based Local Plans, Neighbourhood Plans and Catchment Management Plans);
• The ecological evidence; 
• Habitat experts - including members of the Sussex Nature Partnership (the key delivery and enabling organisations for nature in Sussex) convened in a workshop for this purpose; and
• What local people, groups and organisations told us is important through conversations and surveys.  

As per government guidance, the necessary next step to be undertaken by the LNRS team was a process of shortlisting. The aim of this was to achieve a "manageable number of agreed, critical priorities that reflect a balance of suggestions from local partners and support national environmental objectives".

Over the course of July and September this year, the long list was consolidated, reviewed and further refined. Details of how this was done - including how insights from the public survey were used to understand the strength of local support - can be found in a shortlisting rationale document.

The result of this process is 23 habitat-related priorities. These have been compiled in a document along with a set of draft outcomes for each priority to help us understand what success might look like over the next 10 years if action to deliver the priorities is carried out. 

Seven draft principles

To share some of the thinking that has informed the shortlisted habitat priorities and their outcomes, a set of seven draft principles for nature’s recovery in Sussex has also been published. These guiding principles were first shared in our June webinars, and in this new paper provide additional context about what nature in Sussex needs and how the LNRS can help address this. We recommend reading both the habitat priorities and the principles together for an understanding of the state of nature in Sussex and what the priorities aim to achieve.

Read the Shortlisted priorities and outcomes

Read the Seven draft principles for nature's recovery