Isle of Wight
Local Nature Recovery Strategy
*** Nature Newsflash! ***
Have your say by Valentine’s Day!
Isle of Wight Nature Recovery Strategy Public Consultation
closes this Friday 14th February.
We’d love to hear your general comments on this plan to bring nature back to life on the Isle of Wight!
Don’t worry if you can’t answer it all – one-liners welcome!
Consultation on draft LNRS for
the Isle of Wight
In December 2024, Defra and Natural England approved the draft LNRS for the Isle of Wight. The next step is to hold a period of public consultation before local councillors are asked to approve the final version.
The public consultation is running for four weeks from Friday 17 January 2025.
The deadline for comments is Friday 14th February 2025.
If you would like to find out more about the LNRS before reading the strategy, please view the information pages and FAQ by following the links below.
Scroll down to view an intro video for each section of the LNRS, then click the “download” button to view the file.
The Public Consultation Questionnaire is at the bottom of the page.
This survey will close at the end of the public consultation period on the 14th February 2025.
Statement of Biodiversity Priorities: Part 1 - Area Description
What is a Local Nature Recovery Strategy – including background, purpose of LNRS, elements of the LNRS and an overview of its development:
The Isle of Wight’s Vision for Nature Recovery.
The Isle of Wight’s Natural Landscape – looking at the area’s character and catchments, and the protected and significant areas of the county.
What makes the Island’s nature so special – an overview of the area’s habitats and species.
A changing landscape – changes in landcover, habitats and species; pressures, threats and challenges; and the local and national strategic content for the LNRS.
Nature recovery opportunities on the Isle of Wight – recent gains to be built on, opportunities to enhance and extend and deliver nature-based solutions.
Statement of Biodiversity Priorities: Part 2 - Priorities and Potential Measures
Outline of the priorities for nature recovery on the Isle of Wight, with supporting measures (actions) to achieve this. Tables are provided alongside maps locating mappable measures and the Isle of Wight Local Habitat Map.
Final Local Habitat Map displaying:
Areas that are Particularly Important for Biodiversity (APIB) – composed of all protected sites for nature and irreplaceable habitats.
Areas that Could become of Importance for Biodiversity (ACB) – a layer that informs future opportunities for nature recovery from the mapped measures, outside of what is already recognised within the APIB.
Interactive Isle of Wight
Local Habitat Map
Interactive map created to engage with the Isle of Wight LNRS Local Habitat Map, and mapped measures. The online map also allows for comment on specific mapped measures, and amendments to the areas mapped.
The online map shows the following layers:
Areas that are Particularly Important for Biodiversity (APIB) – composed of all protected sites for nature and irreplaceable habitats.
Areas that Could become of Importance for Biodiversity (ACB) – a layer that informs future opportunities for nature recovery from the mapped measures outside of what is already recognised within the APIB.
Mapped measures – areas in locations that, if certain actions are carried out, can significantly benefit biodiversity on the Island. Mapped measures are displayed under habitat types and include information on the: priority, measure, supporting details, beneficiary species champions and assemblages, targeted National Environment Objectives, and Other Environmental Objectives.
Statement of Biodiversity Priorities: Parts 3 & 4 - Isle of Wight Priority Species and Assemblages
This document lists the 485 Priority Species identified for the Isle of Wight LNRS, organised into 14 habitat assemblages, with 163 Champion Species recognised.
Corresponding measures are outlined for each habitat assemblage.
LNRS IW - Technical Methods
This document details the methodologies that have informed the essential elements of LNRS process and output. The document provides detailed methodology for:
Collating and Shortlisting Priorities and Measures
Mapping Methodology
Collating and Shortlisting Priority Species
Isle of Wight LNRS Public Consultation Questionnaire
Please review the LNRS documents outlined above before completing this survey.
The aim of this survey is to obtain the public’s views on the draft Isle of Wight LNRS. The questionnaire will ask about each of the documents; however, there is no requirement to answer all the questions.
Please use the Interactive Local Habitat Map to add comments directly to mapped measures and suggest any amendments to areas that have been mapped.
This feedback will be used to shape the final LNRS, which will be published later in 2025.
If you would prefer to complete the survey in a PDF, please download it here and then send it to lnrs@arcbiodiversity.co.uk.
The Local Nature Recovery Strategy is here to help us all do better at protecting and improving the Island’s ecological health, upon which we all ultimately depend. The successful implementation of the LNRS is all about us working together to protect habitats and species, improve the environmental quality of our towns, coast and countryside, and make space for the natural world.
The production of this draft has already benefitted very greatly from the thoughts, opinions and experiences of thousands of Islanders, through questionnaires, events, activities and workshops held over the past 14 months and the quality of the work presented here is testament to that support.
Your comments now will help to complete the Island’s first LNRS and allow the fully designed, illustrated, and produced strategy to be published. Together we can then begin the urgent business of delivery, taking positive action for wildlife and making a real and lasting difference in the places where we live and work.
Thank you.