Local Nature Reserve
Encyclopedia
Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserve
s in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee (Conservation of Nature in England and Wales, Command 7122, 1947) which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite of protected areas comprising National Nature Reserves, Conservation Areas (which incorporated suggestions for Sites of Special Scientific Interest), National Parks, Geological Monuments, Local Nature Reserves and Local Educational Nature Reserves. There are now over 1280 LNRs in England, covering almost 40,000 hectares, which range from windswept coastal headlands and ancient woodlands to former inner city railways and long abandoned landfill sites.
A local nature reserve is a statutory designation made under Section 21 – "Establishment of nature reserves by local authorities" – of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949
by principal local authorities in England
, Scotland
and Wales
. In Northern Ireland
, the powers of district councils to establish LNRs are contained in Article 22 of the Nature Conservation and Amenity Lands (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. Parish and town councils can also declare LNRs but they must have the powers to do so delegated to them by the principal local authority.
The first LNR in Scotland was established in 1952 at Aberlady
in East Lothian
.
LNRs are of local, but not necessarily national, importance. LNRs are almost always owned by local authorities, who often pass the management of the LNR onto county Wildlife Trusts or other local environmental bodies. LNRs also often have good public access and facilities. An LNR can also be an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest)
, but often is not, or may have other designations (although an LNR cannot also be a National Nature Reserve). Except where the site is an SSSI, there is no legal necessity to manage an LNR to any set standard, but management agreements often exist.
An LNR may be given protection against damaging operations. It also has certain protection against development on and around it. This protection is usually given via the Local Plan, (produced by the planning authority), and often supplemented by local by-laws. However there is no national legal protection specifically for LNRs.
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
s in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee (Conservation of Nature in England and Wales, Command 7122, 1947) which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite of protected areas comprising National Nature Reserves, Conservation Areas (which incorporated suggestions for Sites of Special Scientific Interest), National Parks, Geological Monuments, Local Nature Reserves and Local Educational Nature Reserves. There are now over 1280 LNRs in England, covering almost 40,000 hectares, which range from windswept coastal headlands and ancient woodlands to former inner city railways and long abandoned landfill sites.
National Parks & Access to the Countryside Act
The National Parks & Access to the Countryside Act 1949 combined elements of several of these categories in its definition of a nature reserve (Section 15). The hope of the Special Committee was to see sites protected which represented sites of local scientific interest, which could be used by schools for field teaching and experiment, and in which people with no special interest in natural history could "...derive great pleasure from the peaceful contemplation of nature."A local nature reserve is a statutory designation made under Section 21 – "Establishment of nature reserves by local authorities" – of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949
National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949
The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the National Parks Commission which later became the Countryside Commission and then the Countryside Agency, which became Natural England when it merged with English Nature in...
by principal local authorities in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. In Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, the powers of district councils to establish LNRs are contained in Article 22 of the Nature Conservation and Amenity Lands (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. Parish and town councils can also declare LNRs but they must have the powers to do so delegated to them by the principal local authority.
The first LNR in Scotland was established in 1952 at Aberlady
Aberlady
Aberlady is a coastal village in the Scottish council area of East Lothian. On Aberlady Bay, it is five miles northwest of Haddington and approximately 18 miles east of Edinburgh, to which it is linked by the A198 Dunbar - Edinburgh road.Aberlady Parish Church dates back to the 15th century. It...
in East Lothian
East Lothian
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
.
LNR establishment
To establish an LNR the declaring local authority must first have a legal interest in the land concerned, for example, they could own it, lease it or have a nature reserve agreement with the owner. The land must lie within the area which the declaring authority controls.LNRs are of local, but not necessarily national, importance. LNRs are almost always owned by local authorities, who often pass the management of the LNR onto county Wildlife Trusts or other local environmental bodies. LNRs also often have good public access and facilities. An LNR can also be an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest)
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
, but often is not, or may have other designations (although an LNR cannot also be a National Nature Reserve). Except where the site is an SSSI, there is no legal necessity to manage an LNR to any set standard, but management agreements often exist.
An LNR may be given protection against damaging operations. It also has certain protection against development on and around it. This protection is usually given via the Local Plan, (produced by the planning authority), and often supplemented by local by-laws. However there is no national legal protection specifically for LNRs.
Information
Information on LNRs is available from the Countryside Council for Wales (A Place for Nature at your Doorstep: the role of Local Nature Reserves, 2004), Natural England that was previously English Nature (Local Nature Reserves: places for people and wildlife, 2000) and Scottish Natural Heritage (Local Nature Reserves in Scotland: a guide to their selection and declaration, 2000).In France
In France a new law gives to Regional Councils the power to create regional local nature reserves (called «Réserves naturelles régionales»).See also
- List of Local Nature Reserves in England
- List of Local Nature Reserves in Scotland
- List of Local Nature Reserves in Wales
- Site of Nature Conservation InterestSite of Nature Conservation InterestSite of Nature Conservation Interest is a designation used in many parts of the United Kingdom to protect areas of importance for wildlife and geology at a county scale...
Further reading
- Barker, GMA & Box, JD (1998). Statutory Local Nature Reserves in the United Kingdom. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 41, 629-642.
- Box, John (2007). Increasing the supply of local nature reserves. Town & Country Planning 76, 160-162.
- Box, John, Steve Berry, Ian Angus, Peter Cush & Pete Frost (2007). Planning local nature reserves. Town & Country Planning 76, 392-395.
- Box, John & Harrison, Carolyn (1993). Natural spaces in urban places. Town & Country Planning 62, 231-235.