Welcome

Bedfordshire’s natural environment is incredible and varied; from the breath-taking splendour of the Chilterns to the delicate heather-covered heaths of the Greensand Ridge, ancient and younger woodlands, meadows, parkland, rivers and lakes – we have it all!

But the local environment is much more than an attractive backdrop to where we live. As the Government’s 25-Year Strategy ‘A Green Future’ states: “The environment is life-giving. It nourishes and nurtures all life, human, animal or plant. We rely on our blue and green spaces for food, water and the air we breathe”.

To sustain these benefits and services provided by the natural environment we must ensure it is properly protected and improved to ensure the future prosperity and wellbeing of people and wildlife. The natural environment is under more pressure now than it has ever been, and we must do all we can to ensure decisions around growth and development are the right ones, based on the best information and with the protection and improvement of the environment at their heart.

Bedfordshire Naturally – A decade of driving action

The Bedfordshire Local Nature Partnership is your local nature partnership, bringing together those interested in protecting and enhancing the natural environment for the benefit of people, wildlife and businesses. We aim to be an independent, challenging, ambitious and outward-reaching partnership, leading the way to the creation of a vibrant, biodiversity-rich, climate resilient and sustainable natural environment valued by all, enhancing health and well-being, culture and an environmentally sustainable local economy.

We formed in 2012, and have been working together since then to present a clear and joined-up approach to achieve real change. We have worked hard to ensure the county’s various Local Plans and other strategies fully acknowledge the importance of the natural environment, and include policies that protect and enhance it. We pioneered a collective approach to assessing the state and condition of the environment and areas for improvement (a ‘Natural Capital Approach’) across the area between Oxford and Cambridge, helping secure funds for critical work which will help inform local activities and strategic plans for the better. And as we step into our next decade, we are helping drive forward the Bedfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy, seeking to ensure it is a strong and practical tool in supporting a true recovery of the natural environment.

The Bedfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy

The Local Nature Recovery Strategies are a new system of spatial strategies for protecting and improving the environment, including nature recovery – underpinning the delivery of the ‘Nature Recovery Network’.

Please see our Beds LNRS page for the latest update, or to contact the LNRS Project Officer please use the following email:

LNRS@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

Beds LNRS Update Presentation

Bedfordshire’s Natural Environment

From food production to flood risk management, from clean air to breathe to places to unwind and relax and to be physically active