We are urging all candidates for the new role of Norfolk and Suffolk mayor to pledge their commitment to achieving nature recovery and safeguarding a healthy and thriving natural environment, to secure prosperity for people, communities and businesses in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Benefits a healthy natural environment can bring include reduced flooding, improved health, and jobs and growth in the nature-based economy.

The strategies – one for each county – identify the pressures on nature in Norfolk and Suffolk and explain where efforts to restore nature would bring the most benefit to wildlife and people. The plans also provide advice on the kinds of actions that can help nature in different locations – from landscape scale habitat creation and ‘rewilding’ schemes, to creating and restoring ponds and hedgerows, greening our towns and villages, and making homes for wildlife in parks and gardens.

The mayor of a new joint Norfolk and Suffolk strategic authority will be responsible for providing strategic leadership on environment and climate change issues, including the delivery of the counties’ LNRS.

Christine Luxton, CEO of Suffolk Wildlife Trust, said:

“The publication of Suffolk’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy is an important step towards bringing back the wildlife and habitats we have lost from our county. We must seize that moment and use the strategies to make real progress on creating more, bigger, better, connected places for nature and people.

“The leadership of the new mayor is going to be critical. Whoever becomes the mayor of Suffolk and Norfolk in May next year will be able to really set nature in our two counties on a path to recovery with the policies and priorities they adopt – and at the same time boost the health and resilience of businesses and communities.”

Helen Hebditch, our Director of Nature Recovery, said:

“Norfolk Wildlife Trust has been protecting wildlife and seeing the benefits this offers our communities for nearly 100 years. It’s crucial that all mayoral candidates understand the importance of healthy nature for achieving healthy and prosperous communities and businesses – from protecting communities from flood risk, to creating clean air and water, providing rich healthy soils for abundant food production and creating vibrant, wildlife-filled counties that attract visitors and investment.

“It’s a challenging time for nature, but the great news is there is hope - we know what to do and how to do it. What’s vital is that our new mayor recognises that restoring nature provides the bedrock for our societies to thrive and provides the leadership and investment to safeguard wildlife and people long into the future.

Ben Green, Woodland Trust External Affairs Officer, said:

“Norfolk and Suffolk’s rich and varied treescape – including the East Anglian Claylands with its rolling farmland, ancient woods and winding hedgerows – faces increasing pressures from development, tree disease, habitat fragmentation and a changing climate. Protecting and recording veteran trees, linking and expanding ancient woodlands, and targeting new planting where Tree Equity is most needed are all essential to safeguarding these landscapes. Using locally sourced stock from UKISG-accredited suppliers will help build resilience and support thriving habitats. These Local Nature Recovery Strategies highlight both the urgent threats and the real opportunities for nature. With bold leadership, the new mayor can help create a resilient, connected landscape that benefits wildlife, farming and communities alike.”

Helen Dangerfield, Director of Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust, said:

“The publication of the Norfolk & Suffolk Local Nature Recovery Strategy marks a key moment for wildlife and the communities that depend on healthy rivers and wetlands. The Essex & Suffolk Rivers Trust welcomes the strategy’s ambition to create more, bigger and better-connected habitats across the two counties.

“To deliver those ambitions on the ground we would urge the new Norfolk & Suffolk Mayor to use their convening power to align local authorities, attract investment for catchment-scale river restoration, and embed nature recovery into planning, flood management and agricultural support. With the right leadership we would hope for measurable gains for species, water quality and climate resilience across Norfolk and Suffolk.”

Ed Bramham-Jones, CEO of Norfolk Rivers Trust, said:

“The new Norfolk and Suffolk mayor’s active backing and leadership will be crucial in unlocking the vision of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy and driving these plans forward at the necessary scale, ensuring our rivers and their catchments thrive for people, local businesses, and wildlife for generations to come.”

Sue Simpson, Assistant Director for the National Trust in Norfolk and Suffolk:

“Our new Local Nature Recovery Strategy demonstrates the huge opportunities Norfolk and Suffolk hold for nature. Nature’s recovery will not only bring benefits to people and the environment, but businesses and our economy too, helping us to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our region. The new Suffolk and Norfolk Mayor has a unique opportunity harness the power of nature’s recovery for the benefit of all.”