Bradford's Local Nature Recovery Strategy

Speaker: David Campbell

Wednesday 24th January 2024

The LNRS (Local Nature Recovery Strategy) is a new approach introduced by the UK government to restore and enhance natural habitats across the country. This talk was about the priorities for Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council.

In 1994, Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs) for habitats and species were produced to aid recovery of the most threatened wildlife in the UK. There were only two plant species, Lesser Twayblade (Neottia cordata) and Marsh Fern (Thelypteris palustris) named in Bradford’s plan. Since work started on the Bradford LNRS, other taxa have been added such as the Killarney Fern (Trichomanes speciosum) gametophyte and the site is now protected.

Natural England now have funding available for a Local Nature Recovery Project for Bradford and South Pennines which includes designating a National Nature Reserve.

Bradford’s biodiversity priorities include an ‘Ancient Grassland Project’ which will include general guidance for farmers and mapping of areas for grasslands enhancement. One of the areas for this project is Oxenhope.

Bradford Botany Group will be able to get involved with our LNRS by sharing records and knowledge with West Yorkshire Ecology about rare/scarce species populations and distribution changes. This will be a great opportunity for the group to hunt for these rare plants!

Please send plant records to the BSBI joint vice-county recorder for South & West Yorkshire (VC63) Kay McDowell (i.e. myself), and I will send these on to West Yorkshire Ecology Service. If you also have suggestions for sites for Local Wildlife Site (LWS) designation please also email these to me: kaywoodward@yahoo.com

Text by Kay McDowell

Photograph by Robert Goodison