Defining our Priorities and Action for Nature Recovery

The Strategy’s  “statement of biodiversity priorities” will set out the priorities, in terms of habitats and species, for recovering or enhancing biodiversity and consider the contribution that this may also make to addressing wider environmental issues with nature-based solutions.

In addition to identifying the county’s priorities for nature recovery and enhancement, the project will also define the potential practical actions necessary to progress towards achievement of the priorities.

This is an important stage of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy preparation, as it establishes what the strategy is seeking to achieve and the potential measures needed to support the ambitions.  Whilst working with partners and stakeholders is important to the whole process, it is during this part of the project that we especially want meaningful engagement with stakeholders, as these will be the delivery partners for the Strategy’s priorities and actions.  We also want to ensure that the priorities reflect what’s most important to the people and organisations in Kent – to ensure it really is a LOCAL Nature Recovery Strategy, reflected our local nature and environmental needs.

Work began by gathering all possible priorities, with all stakeholders contributing to the creation of what is effectively a long wish list .  This was then reviewed and refined, using selection criteria.  Refinement has been transparent and done with input from all.

We will now need input from local partners in identifying the potential measures for delivery of the agreed priorities – it is expected that most potential measures will be ways of enhancing existing habitat and creating new.

Where are we up to?

Our first series of workshops, which looked at the pressures and priorities for nature recovery in Kent and Medway, is now complete – we had hundreds of passionate attendees, who shared with us their concerns and hopes for biodiversity in the county.  We have taken all this vital data and applied our shortlisting selection criteria to it, to ensure we produce a shortlist that focuses on the priorities that can reap the most benefits for biodiversity.   We published our Draft Shortlist of Priorities on 22nd April.  Following a workshop with the county’s marine and coastal stakeholders on 25th April, this has been updated to include revised coastal and marine priorities and is re-published at the link below:  

View Our Draft Shortlist of Priorities

We wanted to be really transparent about the process that took us from your 800 plus suggested outcomes for nature, to the 60 or so priorities now proposed.   So we have produced a comprehensive report that outlines every shortlisting step in detail.  You can view this full report at the link below:

Creating the Kent and Medway LNRS Draft Priorities Shortlist – What Was Our Process? 

 But the work isn’t quite done yet – It’s critical that we discuss these proposed priorities with our stakeholders – especially as they will frame the potential measures that funding and investment will be directed to.   As such, we really would appreciate your input at this next stage.

We have three workshops in May that will focus on finalising the strategy priorities – as we look to refine the list further, we want to know:

• Which of the marginal and priorities that did not score well against the selection criteria, must still be retained?  Can they be strengthened?
• Are any of the draft priorities considered to not actually be that important to nature recovery?
• Are there any other priorities necessary to recover the county’s nature?
• Are all our priority habitats appropriately represented?
• Is there anything outside of the strategy’s remit, which concerns you will not be picked up elsewhere?

To book your place on our Shortlisting Workshops, click the link below:

Join Our Shortlisting Workshops

You can still view the full longlist for Priorities as it existed prior to undergoing the shortlisting process here:

View Our Longlist of Priorities

Thank you to all those who took the time to view and comment on our shortlisting selection criteria – all your feedback was taken into account, and adjustments were made to the criteria accordingly – follow the link below for the consultation report and to view the adopted approach.

View the feedback report and amended shortlisting criteria

  A further 4 workshops will then consider what measures, or actions, need to be taken in order to deliver them and make our priorities a reality.   You can find all the dates and tickets for these workshops at the link below:

Upcoming May Workshops – Dates and Tickets