Nature Recovery

What is Nature Recovery and why is it needed?

The world is facing twin climate and biodiversity emergencies, which are inextricably linked. Nature is in serious decline internationally and nationally, with the UK being one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. The UK Government has recognised the urgent need to achieve significant nature recovery and this is reflected in ambitious targets in the 25-year Environment Plan and in the commitment to protect 30% of the UK’s land for nature by 2030. Nature recovery will be delivered through Local Nature Recovery Strategies developed by county-level authorities (for our area West Yorkshire Combined Authority aims to publish their plan early in 2025). To deliver these strategies each area will need to bring forward a Local Nature Recovery Plan.

In 2010, Professor John Lawton presented a report to the UK Government, called ‘Making Space for Nature’ which called for the creation of a healthy ecological network operating across the landscape as a whole, not in isolated reservoirs. For nature recovery to succeed he said, wildlife habitats need to be bigger, better and more joined-up. This means:

  • Increasing the size of wildlife sites
  • Protecting what we have while improving its quality with better management
  • Enhancing connection by creating new wildlife corridors or stepping stones
  • Creating new sites
  • Reducing pressure on wildlife by improving the wider environment including through buffering wildlife sites

 Five components are needed for an ecological network to be effective:

  1. Core areas – these are the areas of highest wildlife value.
  2. Corridors and stepping stones – the places that allow movement and interaction.
  3. Restoration areas – areas where species and habitats can be restore.
  4. Buffer zones – these protect the core areas, corridors, stepping stones and restoration areas from the pressures of human influence.
  5. Sustainable use areas – areas of greater human influence and resource use.

What is happening locally?

Climate Action Leeds transition partner, Hyde Park Source, is working with the nature sector across Leeds to develop a ‘Green Leeds Action’ plan which will feed into the city-wide plan, support a community-led response to the Climate Emergency, and move Leeds towards a zero carbon, nature friendly, socially just city by the 2030s.

In November 2024 HCA hosted a joint event with Alwoodley 2030 to begin work on a North Leeds nature recovery plan. Rachel Bice, CEO of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT) presented the first State of Yorkshire Nature report. Nature groups and climate action groups from across the area will be working with YWT and Yorkshire Rewilding Network to make our spaces for nature bigger, better and more joined up. If you are interested in being part of this exciting and inspiring project, email: hub@horsforthclimateaction.org

Locally we have practical conservation groups including some of our Community Group Members such as Yorkshire Rewilding Network, Rodley Nature Reserve, Friends of Hunger Hills Woods, Horsforth in Bloom, Friends of Hawksworth Woods, Cragg Hill and Woodside Residents Group and Friends of Horsforth Cemetery.

Horsforth Town Council has recently adopted a Biodiversity Policy, please see page 36 of this document. HCA Nature group will be working with them on the implementation of this, as well as on a review of the current Neighbourhood Plan (2019-2028).

Useful links

Otley 2030 / Wildlife Friendly Otley nature recover

Principles underpinning Nature Recovery Networks:

  • Understand the place
  • Create a vision
  • Involve people
  • Create core sites
  • Build resilience
  • Embrace dynamism
  • Encourage diversity
  • Think ‘networks’
  • Start now but plan long-term
  • Monitor progress.

You can see the full report in this on the Nature Networks Evidence Handbook on the Natural England Website

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