Hertfordshire has put farmers and land managers at the heart of its first Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS), a ground-breaking plan to restore wildlife across the county.
The strategy, released after two years of development and public engagement, will guide how agricultural land, private land and community green space contribute to habitat restoration.
A formal ‘nature summit’ will be held in January to outline how farmers and landowners across the county will participate in delivering the new priorities.
The LNRS is also expected to shape how national plans such as the Environmental Land Management Program and Sustainable Agriculture Incentives (SFI) are applied locally, ensuring that environmental funding is aligned with county priorities.
As 70% of Hertfordshire’s land is privately owned, LNRS focuses on supporting farmers to create and enhance habitat, including improving the environment for species such as swifts and water voles, restoring chalk rivers and developing more diverse and climate-resilient farmland.
While the plan is intended to work alongside, rather than in competition with, food production, some farmers say balancing new environmental commitments with day-to-day business pressures can be a practical challenge.
More than 70 sites have been voluntarily proposed to join the LNRS by local farmers and landowners, reflecting the industry’s growing interest in environmental management.
Hertfordshire also recorded the highest number of consultation responses in the country with 751 responses, many of which came from farmers, rural businesses and community groups.
Chief Executive Paul Zukowski, Chairman of the Hertfordshire Nature Recovery Partnership, said this strong initiative shows how deeply rural communities care for their landscapes.
He said the strategy was a “roadmap to a greener, healthier Hertfordshire” and represented a shared commitment to restoring nature alongside productive land use.
Peter Mitchell, Head of Sustainability and Innovation at Gascoigne Estate and Land Manager Representative on the LNRS Steering Group, said it had been a pleasure to help develop the plan.
He said farmers and landowners “are motivated to contribute for nature”, adding that ensuring the strategy “works for land managers is key to achieving effectiveness and scale”.
Laura Burrows, CEO of Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, said the launch was a huge opportunity to restore fragile habitats, working with the people who manage the land every day.
She said there was a clear opportunity for Hertfordshire to create “greener, healthier and stronger” countryside where agriculture and wildlife could thrive together, with farmers, landowners, conservation groups and communities coming together around one plan.
