Pioneering place-sensitive nature recovery at the hyper-local scale: a multi-tier, multi-directional governance approach

Shropshire is pioneering a community-led model for nature recovery, where parish councils are beginning to play a central role in mobilising local action.

Through partnerships with organisations like the Middle Marches Community Land Trust and the Shropshire Association of Local Councils, local governance networks are convening residents, landowners and volunteers to co-produce bespoke hyper-local nature recovery plans. These are influenced by and supportive of the regional Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) led by Shropshire Council. Hyper-local activities range from participatory habitat mapping to community land purchases and other volunteer-led nature recovery activities.

At the heart of Shropshire’s success is local leadership aided by delegated responsibility to those with a strong motivation to act, robust partnerships with community organisations, community control of land assets, networking amongst parish councils, ability to collect a sound precept, and a linking between hyper-local efforts and regional strategy.

This decentralised, place-based approach fosters durable, locally meaningful outcomes, which actively encourage communities to get involved with protecting and enhancing their local ecosystems. It presents a replicable model of civic environmentalism with the potential to shape how LNRSs are implemented across the country.

Key themes

Nature recovery, parish councils, local nature recovery strategies, local governance, civic environmentalism, community partnerships, land assets

Dr Georgina Treloar is a Postdoctoral Research Associate on the ESRC-funded Nature Recovery and Regional Development (NaRReD) project at the University of Exeter and is affiliated with the Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI) at the Penryn campus in Cornwall. She completed her PhD in Environmental Social Science at the University of Kent in 2024, which explored framing in radical environmentalism. Georgina’s research interests span social movements, nature recovery and environmental politics.

Dr Jack Reed is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow on the ESRC-funded Nature Recovery and Regional Development (NaRReD) project. He is affiliated with the Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI) in Penryn, Cornwall, and also works in the Land, Environment, Economics and Policy Institute (LEEP) in Exeter. Jack works at the forefront of interdisciplinary research exploring how nature recovery intersects with rural economies, technologies and public policy.

Dr Joanie Willett is an Associate Professor in Politics at the University of Exeter at the Penryn Campus in Cornwall. Her research focusses on regional development, with an emphasis on rural areas. Broadly, she considers the co-evolving relationships between people and their environments, and specialises in local government, the politics of resources, and skills development in both the UK and the USA. She is affiliated with the University of Exeter Environment and Sustainability Institute, and co-leads both the Political Studies Association Local Politics and Governance Specialist Group; the Regional Studies Research Network on Peripheries and Peripherality EdgeNet, and the Institute of Cornish Studies.

Professor Jane Wills is an Honorary Professor of Geography at the Centre for Geography and Environmental Science (CGES) in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science (DEES) at the University of Exeter in Penryn, Cornwall. She is affiliated to the Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI) on campus and used to be its Director between 2020 and 2023. Jane's research interests are focused on nature recovery and its integration into regional development policy and practice.