Defra Update on Local Nature Recovery Scheme
Yesterday (11th August 2022) Defra published a blog to provide more detail on the proposed Local Nature Recovery (LNR) scheme. This is the first update since Defra’s January statement which we reported in our blogpost of 6th January 2022.
So what new information is shared?
The full scheme is intended to be open to all by “the end of 2024”
There will be funding for both capital works and maintenance
Options will be “less prescriptive and more flexible” than existing schemes
Payment rates will be based on income foregone plus costs
SFI and LNR can both be claimed on the same land provided that they are not paying for the same outcomes
It will be possible to enter part of a farm into an agreement – it need not be the whole farm
It is intended that there be more flexibility on application windows and changes during the term of an agreement
The scheme will be open to individuals, businesses or groups such as Commoners Associations
Collaboration with others to deliver larger schemes will be rewarded but will not be a requirement
The importance of local advice and facilitation is noted but we will have to wait until later this year for more detail on how these will be supported
More information on options and payment rates is promised later this year, along with an explanation of how those in existing agri-environment schemes will be able to transfer to LNR.
In summary, it seems as though this “new” scheme is going to look very familiar to those who are already in Countryside Stewardship. Some will take comfort from that, but has Defra missed an opportunity for a much bolder approach recognising the value of natural capital to society?
Defra’s blog Environmental land management: a forward look can be found at
https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/2022/08/11/environmental-land-management-a-forward-look/
12th August 2022