Solent Nature Recovery

Bucklers Hard Yacht Harbour © Beaulieu River Management

There is a strong desire to plan for the recovery of nature in both the Solent's marine and coastal areas and for this to link with any new requirement for Marine Net Gain. Previously the Solent Forum worked with partners to help scope the strategic direction of Solent marine and coastal nature recovery, with the marine environment a voluntary extension to the statutory Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) process. This included a well attended workshop held in January 2024 for Solent stakeholders.

The statutory guidance requires that LNRS follow administrative boundaries into the inter tidal zone only as far as mean low water only. In May 2024, Defra clarified that Responsible Authorities (RAs) should not include marine at this time and that work is underway at the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to explore how spatial planning for marine nature recovery might develop in the future.

The Solent Forum have written to all the stakeholders, who attended the January 2024 workshop, to update them of the situation that marine cannot currently be included in the first iteration of LNRS'.

The Forum continues to have an ambition to promote recovery for both marine and coast ensuring the links between marine and the coastal margins and estuaries; the Solent Seascape Project is key to developing successful long term Solent nature recovery. The Forum and partners propose to: 

Support the RAs in identifying coastal and intertidal priorities and delivering appropriate actions.
Support work on aligning the Hampshire, West Sussex and Isle of Wight LNRS’ with the South Marine Plans policy.
Continue to host the summary report of all the current work on Solent marine nature recovery, this will be shared with the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and local stakeholders.
Continue to help draft the Solent Seascape Project's Recovery Plan and help align this with current and future statutory coastal and marine policy.
Continue to host the Solent to Sussex Bay seascape restoration inventory.

Solent Seascape Project

The Solent Seascape Project is a partnership aiming to reconnect the Solent into a functioning and productive ecosystem for people, nature, and climate. It will bring together local stakeholders to develop and co-create a long-term seascape recovery plan that supports better management of existing Solent marine and coastal habitats. This piece of work will take place from 2023 to 2028. It will form an integral part of nature recovery for the Solent in the longer term, contributing to local priorities and delivering opportunities to improve nature.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies

Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) were brought in under the Environment Act, 2021. Responsible Authorities (usually local authorities) are required to develop them and report on progress every five years. The first LNRS’ will be produced in 2024/5. They will initially focus on land (including the intertidal) including those terrestrial habitats in the 'coastal zone of influence' such as saline lagoons, coastal grazing marsh and wader roosting and feeding sites.

The Solent's coast is covered by the Hampshire, Isle of Wight and West Sussex LNRS'. They include:

A Statement of Biodiversity Priorities, which reflect stakeholder priorities for environmental outcomes, and the actions that need to be undertaken to achieve these outcomes.
A Local Habitat Map, which will identify the existing distribution of habitats and the location of areas already important for biodiversity, overlaid by locations considered suitable for delivering the outcomes and actions identified by stakeholders

Five areas were selected by the government in 2020 to receive a share of £1 million of funding to set up Local Nature Recovery Strategies’ (LNRS) pilot studies.

LNRS' support a strategic approach to off-site biodiversity net gain delivery by agreeing evidence-based locations to expand and connect existing habitat and provide wider environmental benefits.

Partnership Work

South East Nature Partnerships

In 2021, a new network of nature partnerships in the South East was established. The South East Nature Partnership brings together Sussex Nature Partnership, Kent Nature Partnership, Surrey Nature Partnership, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Nature Partnership. Through this network, it collaborates across the region on common priorities. This partnership meets quarterly and is chaired by the Kent Nature Partnership

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Nature Partnership

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Nature Partnership (LNP) was established in 2012 and is one of 48 strategic local nature partnerships formed in England following publication of the 2011 Natural Environment White Paper. LNPs operate at the county scale.

Its main focus is to:

drive a nature recovery network and green infrastructure out from protected landscapes and out from large urban areas;
tackle climate change, especially in terms of the contribution from biodiversity and land management;
improve health & wellbeing through accessible natural greenspace;
support the changing rural economy – helping land managers and rural businesses to become more sustainable and remain profitable.

Resources

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