After the successful partnership working that led to the publication of the local nature recovery strategy (LNRS), Oxfordshire County Council is now continuing its work with the Oxfordshire Local Nature Partnership (OLNP).

The OLNP is launching the first of Oxfordshire’s strategic nature projects – a growing portfolio of the county’s most ambitious nature recovery initiatives, now live on the OLNP’s website. It will include 15 projects, with these six already promoted and more to come:

• Black poplar project to recover Britain’s rarest tree species back to floodplains in Oxfordshire.
• Cotswolds Savannah project: a large-scale chalk grassland and mosaic habitat restoration project on 2,000 hectares.
• Evenlode landscape recovery project restoring habitats, soil health, and waterways. Led by farmers without sacrificing food production.
• Thames Valley wildflower meadow restoration project in Eynsham, including the acquisition of a new piece of land.
• Ock and Thame landscape recovery project, including benefits for people, food, farming, and nature.
• Reconnecting Bernwood Otmoor and the Ray project.

Councillor Laura Gordon, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Economy, said: “The selected projects are built to last, with trusted partnerships, and plans to sustain their impacts well beyond any single funding cycle. Together, the projects span a significant area of Oxfordshire and represent a shared vision for nature recovery across the county, helping to deliver the LNRS’s strategic vision.

“Publishing these projects is just the first step. We will continue working with and through the OLNP to help these projects unlock the specific delivery funding and investments that they need.”

Each project has been assessed for its strong alignment with the LNRS, which the council published in November 2025, and its potential to deliver lasting, landscape-scale change. The projects include key actions to connect habitats across the county, support the recovery of priority species, and build greater local resilience in the face of increasingly extreme weather events.

Beyond nature recovery, the strategic projects each offer a variety of key wider benefits for people and place – cleaner water supplies, greater flood resilience, more opportunities for communities to connect with nature, and improvements for health, wellbeing and local economies.

Given that these projects are at different stages and different scales, the right kind of support will vary.

For some, philanthropic or grant funding will be the right fit. For others, public sources such as agri-environment payments or woodland creation grants may be more appropriate. As projects mature, opportunities through emerging nature markets are also expected to open up.

Over the coming months the OLNP and its members, including the council, will be promoting the portfolio more widely and connecting projects with the funders and partners best placed to support them.

Looking further ahead, the OLNP hopes to make it easier for individuals and businesses to contribute directly to the projects that matter most to them, through a crowdfunding-style approach – so that everyone with a stake in Oxfordshire's landscapes can play a part in their recovery.

For now, the public is invited to explore the projects, share them widely, and get in touch to help create a greener and more resilient Oxfordshire.

People can see the projects and get in touch with them directly through the OLNP’s website.

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Since 2023, Oxfordshire County Council has been working in partnership to reverse the decline of wildlife, restoring habitats, and ensuring that coordinated nature recovery is embedded in Oxfordshire’s future. Partner organisations span nature conservation, farming, forestry, rural and local businesses, local authorities, education, and community groups.

The LNRS is designed to restore and reconnect the county’s natural environment to build local resilience against flooding and climate change to benefit for generations to come.

Over many months, this partnership has met people, listened to local priorities and crafted a set of targeted actions. These include an innovative, interactive map that guides nature recovery efforts to areas that could become particularly important for biodiversity, offering every corner of Oxfordshire the chance to play its part in this collective endeavour.

Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Place, Environment and Climate Action, said: “This is not simply a document – it is a call to action, a statement of hope and a promise to future generations. Together, we will forge the path towards a county where wildlife flourishes, nature is part of our daily lives, and the benefits of a vibrant natural environment are secured for all.

“All local people, organisations and authorities are the delivery partners of the LNRS. There is something for everyone to do whether it’s creating a pond, managing your garden for wildlife, creating habitats at school, creating arable wildflower strips, managing an ancient woodland or reintroducing beavers.

“Let’s recover nature, together – Oxfordshire’s future depends on it.”

The development of the strategy has been a collaborative journey. From the outset, there has been a deep commitment to drawing on the knowledge, passion and vision of Oxfordshire’s local people and organisations.

The engagement process was extensive, culminating in a formal public consultation that generated more than 2,000 responses to the strategy documents and the pioneering mapping tool. The outcome was overwhelmingly positive, with communities, stakeholders and individuals voicing support for the direction and priorities set out in the strategy.

Since the consultation, the LNRS has further developed the documents and map to improve the strategy further and the final version is now live.

Chloe Edwards, Oxfordshire County Council’s LNRS Project Manager, said: “The LNRS is poised to empower communities at the grassroots, offering a powerful framework to direct energy and resources towards habitat and species work where they could offer great benefits.

“By putting this strategy into action, Oxfordshire stands ready to realise the vision of a well-connected, biodiversity rich network of nature – one that is resilient to future challenges, restored not only for the health and wellbeing of people but for nature’s own intrinsic value.”

Richard Benwell, Chair of Oxfordshire Local Nature Partnership and CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: “Our LNRS is a treasure map, setting a path to make Oxfordshire rich in nature. The strategy is an amazing team effort, but the plan won't happen by itself. Now it’s up to us all to bring the plan to life. 

“Politicians must follow the plan in planning decisions and budgets. Land managers should figure out how their patch can be part of a thriving landscape. Businesses and communities need to step up with investment and commitment.

“Restoring nature is a huge task, but if we keep the spirit of positivity, good science and collaboration alive, it really is possible.”

Nature Minister Mary Creagh said: “I welcome this strategy as an opportunity to create bigger, better and more joined up areas for nature in Oxfordshire, benefitting local communities, alleviate flooding, making landscapes more climate resilient and improving health and wellbeing. 

“This is an important step in the effort to recover nature and support prosperity in the county for the future.”

The strategy is now expected to be used by funding bodies, local authorities, planners and other investors in nature to focus their funding, support and finance towards those locations and actions that could offer the greatest benefits for nature.

To ensure Oxfordshire’s nature recovery ambitions are realised and remain relevant, the strategy is underpinned by a strong commitment to monitoring and evaluation.

Oxfordshire County Council will be responsible for tracking, assessing and reporting on the progress of nature recovery actions across the county. Over the next three to 10 years, in line with government requirements, the strategy and its interactive map will be formally reviewed and republished, enabling adaptation to changing local habitats, evolving community priorities and the latest scientific data.

This ongoing process of evaluation will ensure the strategy continues to deliver real and lasting benefits for people and nature alike.

More information, including the LNRS map, are available on Oxfordshire County Council’s website.

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