What they are

Nature Improvement Areas are a new name for the “Ecological Restoration Zones” proposed by the Making Space for Nature Review. Although the characteristics of Nature Improvement Areas will vary across the country according to what is possible and what is needed, these will be places where:

• opportunities to deliver ecological networks, both in terms of large area scale and valuable benefits accruing to wildlife and people, are particularly high;
• a shared vision exists among a wide partnership including statutory and voluntary sectors;
• significant enhancements of the network can be achieved over large areas by enlarging and enhancing existing wildlife sites, improving ecological connectivity and/or creating new sites;
• the surrounding land use is better integrated with the management of the ecological network; wildlife habitats and underpinning ecosystem processes are restored, helping to mitigate climate change impacts; and
• people are inspired by their enhanced experience of the outside world.

The Natural Environment White Paper commits Government to assist partnerships of local authorities, local communities and landowners, the private sector and conservation organisations to establish new Nature Improvement Areas, based on a local assessment of opportunities for restoring and connecting nature on a significant scale.

Update – October 2011

Defra today announced that 76 partnerships have submitted applications to become Nature Improvement Areas.

The applications cover a wide area of England and include a considerable range of landscapes and habitats, such as farmland, wetland, heathland, grassland, woodland and cover both urban and rural landscapes.

Environment Minister Richard Benyon said: “I am delighted by the number of applications that partnerships have submitted, which show the huge enthusiasm and support for this key project. NIAs will help us deliver large scale and valuable benefits for both wildlife and people.”

This follows a commitment in the Natural Environment White Paper for Government to assist partnerships of local authorities, local communities and landowners, the private sector and conservation organisations to enable 12 new Nature Improvement Areas by Spring 2012.

Applications will now be assessed by a national panel chaired by Professor Sir John Lawton and including Sir Graham Wynne, former chief executive of the RSPB, John Varley of Devon Clinton Estates and Ruth Chambers from the Campaign for National Parks. Government officials from Defra, CLG, Natural England, Environment Agency and Forestry Commission with relevant expertise will also sit on the panel.

Latest news

• Natural Environment White Paper published
• The Government’s response to ‘Making Space for Nature: A review of England’s Wildlife Sites and Ecological Network’ (Chaired by Professor Sir John Lawton) published
• ThinkBIG report published

Background

The UK recently signed up to challenging international targets to take effective action to halt biodiversity loss and restore ecosystem services and Nature Improvement Areas are fundamental to achieving the step change that is necessary for the creation of a coherent and resilient ecological network in England. There is also an increasing evidence base relating to the benefits and value for money of such investments in the natural environment and green infrastructure.

In the Natural Environment White Paper, published on 7 June 2011, we undertook to support the creation of Nature Improvement Areas and to fund a Nature Improvement Areas competition to illustrate what works. Natural England will set up the competition to identify twelve initial areas. We envisage that these initial Nature Improvement Areas will inform how this approach can be rolled out more widely.  Defra and its agencies will provide £7.5 million over the current spending review period towards the cost of the first tranche of these Nature Improvement Areas.  Proposals will be invited from local consortia and assessed by a national panel chaired by Professor Sir John Lawton and including  Sir Graham Wynne, John Varley of Clinton Devon Estates, and Ruth Chambers from the Campaign for National Parks.  Government officials from Defra, DCLG, Natural England, Environment Agency and Forestry Commission with relevant expertise will also sit on the panel.

• We want to see Nature Improvement Areas wherever the opportunities or benefits are greatest, driven by the knowledge and vision of local partnerships.
• The Environment Agency, Forestry Commission and Natural England will work closely together to capture the ‘win-win’ opportunities by integrating biodiversity with a wide range of ecosystem services.
• We want the planning system to contribute to our objective of no net loss of biodiversity, and local authorities will be able to use local planning to support Nature Improvement Areas, including identifying them in their local plans. When planning for development in their areas, they may want to specify the types of development that may or may not be appropriate in component parts of the Nature Improvement Areas  (such as existing designated areas), design aspects and how development can contribute to the Nature Improvement Area objectives.

Aims

Nature Improvement Areas should contain all the components that the Making Space for Nature review set out for an ecological network:

• core areas, primarily existing wildlife sites;
• corridors and stepping stones, which could be created/restored;
• restoration areas, where priority habitats are created;
• buffer zones, that reduce pressures on core areas;
• sustainable use areas, that provide a sympathetic and permeable matrix within which other components sit.

They should aim to achieve significant and demonstrable enhancements of the ecological network over large areas by undertaking the actions prioritised in the review:

1. Improving the management of existing wildlife sites
2. Increasing the size of existing wildlife sites
3. Increasing the number of wildlife sites
4. Improving connectivity between sites
5. Creating wildlife corridors

Funding

To support the establishment of the first tranche of twelve Nature Improvement Areas, the Natural Environment White Paper announced funding of £7.5m over the spending review period of 2011-14.  In addition, we have allocated resources to help establish an information and knowledge-sharing network for Nature Improvement Areas.

Timelines and applications

The competition for applications for the first 12 Nature Improvement Areas closed on 30 September 2011.  All details, including guidance, and timescales are available on the Natural England website.

We expect that the first twelve Nature Improvement Areas can begin work by 1 April 2012.

If you have any enquiries about Nature Improvement Areas, please contact Natural England at enquiries.ne@naturalengland.org.uk