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How do you restore the wild spaces in a corner of England?

Ellen KnightShropshire
News imageGetty Images A photograph of purple flowers blooming in Ashes Hollow on the Long Mynd. In the foreground, it's covered in purple heather, with ferns and bracken growing up the slopes of the hills. Into the distance, more hills can be seen with a similar patchwork of purple and green. A narrow gravel path stretches away into the distance. The sky is slightly overcast with patches of blue. Getty Images
Shropshire is home to a number of diverse habitats and rare species

A plan to improve Shropshire's wild spaces has been unveiled, aiming to restore habitats and protect wildlife.

Under the 2021 Environment Act, every local authority must develop one of these plans to promote biodiversity and restore nature in their respective areas.

It is called a Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS), and Shropshire is the latest of the 48 areas to reveal its aims.

The county has "things that we really want to protect," said Lynn Parker, who is coordinating the project, adding that "having the strategy means that we can focus our efforts".

What is a Local Nature Recovery Strategy?

An LNRS is a joint effort between a large number of agencies, and is part of a new system that hopes to map and help drive a more coordinated approach to nature recovery and build a national Nature Recovery Network.

It is one part of the government's 25 Year Environment Plan that in 2018 set out to improve the UK's nature within a generation and is funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

In Shropshire, the LNRS is being led by Shropshire Council, with support from Telford and Wrekin Council and other agencies including Natural England and Shropshire Wildlife Trust.

But an LNRS cannot force a landowner to make changes and is not legally binding - it purely points out where change should, ideally, happen.

News imageEllen Knight/BBC Photo of Lynn looking into the camera and smiling. She has shoulder-length light brown hair, and is wearing a white collared shirt and a silver necklace with a circular pendant. She is photographed in front of green, leafy trees, with dappled sunlight falling on her face. The sky, seen beyond the trees, is bright blue and clear. Ellen Knight/BBC
Lynn Parker said Shropshire had "a bit of a nature crisis"

"Shropshire is like the rest of the UK - we've got a bit of a nature crisis," Parker said.

The LNRS provides a framework for agencies to "focus" on, she added, which means "we can benefit all of those areas and species".

"We know that Shropshire residents really think nature is important for them," Parker said.

She noted that "water management, flooding control, water quality, and climate" are areas that local people have highlighted as needing more attention.

News imageEllen Knight/BBC Walker pictured looking into the camera and smiling slightly. He is wearing a green, yellow, and white tartan shirt with a brown waxed gilet over the top. He is also wearing a light blue Shropshire Council-branded lanyard. He is stood in front of a row of bright green trees and bushes. The sky is bright blue and there is strong sunshine. Ellen Knight/BBC
Walker said improving nature would help the local economy

Councillor David Walker, who represents Whittington on Shropshire Council, said improving the county's natural world could also bring "big economic benefits".

"Shropshire's a lovely place to live and work, but that doesn't mean there aren't things we can do to make it better," he said.

Walker added that "tourism and other economic activity" could be boosted by thriving ecosystems.

News imageRob Trigg/BBC Photo of Healy looking into the camera and smiling. She has shoulder-length blonde hair and is wearing a red top with a grey blazer over the top. Out of focus, behind her, is a three-storey building with a row of parked cars in front of it. The sky is cloudy with patches of blue sky. Rob Trigg/BBC
Councillor Carolyn Healy said Telford was "one of the greenest" towns

Councillor Carolyn Healy represents the Ironbridge Gorge ward on Telford and Wrekin Council and is the cabinet member for planning, neighbourhoods and sustainability.

The strategy "sets out areas of opportunity" and identifies places "where we can really enhance biodiversity," Healy said.

Telford and Wrekin has "a fantastic network of local nature reserves," she added, noting that the plans will "help shape how we manage those areas as well".

News imageGetty Images A wintery photograph of a river, with the Wrekin hill rising up in the distance, slightly obscured by cloud. The banks of the river are lined with trees and shrubbery, and the grass has a layer of frost on it. The sky is blue and slightly pink, suggesting the photo is taken near sunrise. Getty Images
The Wrekin, seen here in the distance, is an iconic Shropshire landmark

What habitats are there in Shropshire?

Shropshire is, of course, home to the Shropshire Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, as well as iconic landscapes like the Wrekin and the Ironbridge Gorge.

The county also boasts ecologically significant areas like Whixall Moss, the Rivers Severn, Clun and Teme, and a large number of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

It also has unusual habitats like ffridd, a Welsh term for a type of upland ecosystem common in Wales, that is made up of a combination of habitats including bog, acid grassland, and bracken.

The strategy for Shropshire is broken down into 16 priorities, including restoring hedgerows, peatlands and wetlands, "re-naturalising" rivers and protecting "veteran trees".

News imageGetty Images A photograph taken on the top of the Long Mynd, with purple heather growing abundantly in the foreground. As the view stretches into the distance, more hills and ridges are visible, all covered in a patchwork of green, brown, and purple. The sky is slightly overcast but there is strong sunshine. Getty Images
The Long Mynd is a heath plateau in the Shropshire Hills AONB

What about the wildlife?

A total of 29 species are named in the LNRS as needing specific action to protect them.

Dormice, hedgehogs, pine martens and water voles are the mammals that the project has identified as a priority.

Birds including the curlew, nightjar, dipper, lesser black-backed gull and red grouse are also named.

Just one plant is on the list - the green-winged orchid - alongside a large number of invertebrates including the pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly and the black darter dragonfly.

News imageGetty Images A photograph of a curlew - a large wading bird with light brown, white, dark brown, and black plumage. It has long, dark brown legs and a long, narrow beak. There are two curlews in the picture - the one further away from the camera is slightly out of focus. The birds are walking across green and brown boggy ground. Getty Images
Once a common sight in Shropshire, curlew numbers have fallen in the 21st Century

Dave Cragg, from Natural England, said "there's a lot that needs to be done" to address "the global biodiversity crisis".

In Shropshire, "there are definitely places where it is really good", Cragg said, noting the county's nature reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

The diversity of Shropshire's nature makes it special, he added, recalling "those brilliant hills, the Stiperstones, the Long Mynd" as well as "bogs, fens, and a brilliant river system".

"It's got a bit of everything really."

News imageEllen Knight/BBC Dave pictured looking into the camera and smiling. He is wearing a blue and red checked shirt, with a black fleece jacket over the top. He has short grey hair and a short grey beard. He is pictured stood on the banks of a river, with bright green grass and trees with green leaves lining the watercourse. The sky is bright blue, with strong sunshine casting dappled light on the ground. Ellen Knight/BBC
Dave Cragg said Shropshire's ecosystems were very diverse

What about the people living there?

The team behind the strategy have spent two years engaging with local people, holding clinics across Shropshire and attending agricultural shows to name just a few.

A public survey was held when the LNRS was in its infancy in summer 2024, with nature recovery conferences held for town and parish councils later that year.

Shropshire Council said it was "pleased with the response", with 3,782 comments received during a consultation held in 2025, which they claim is "more than any other LNRS area to date".

News imageNFU Photograph of Kate taken in front of two huge biogas tanks on her farm. She has chin-length blonde hair, and is wearing a blue jacket and a red, white, and blue scarf. The tanks behind her have dark green corrugated iron containing them, with a concrete floor on the ground. NFU
Kate Mayne, Shropshire's NFU chair, said farmers were important to the success of an LNRS

Groups like the National Farmers Union (NFU) have contributed to the consultation to ensure that it works with farmers.

About 84% of Shropshire's total land area is farmed land.

Kate Mayne, who is a farmer and the chair of NFU Shropshire, worked closely with the project and said that "local idiosyncrasies... are really important to us as farmers".

News imageGetty Images A photograph of sheep grazing on the side of a hill in the Shropshire Hills. There are six sheep visible, all with white coats and black faces and legs. The grass they are grazing is bright green, and hills rise up in the distance on the horizon, covered in a patchwork of fields and woodland. The sky is blue and clear, with strong sunshine. Getty Images
Farmland makes up a significant proportion of Shropshire's total land area

By speaking to Shropshire farmers during the consultation, Mayne said that they have "had the opportunity to identify what's right with it - but also what's wrong with it and to be able to kind of steer it".

Farmers can contribute to the aims of the LNRS, she explained, as "we can do lots around the boundaries of our fields to create more habitat through our amazing network of hedgerows".

Mayne said that people in her industry "are managing a very large proportion of the land" so it is "critical that we get the balance right between food production alongside nature".

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