The Norfolk & Suffolk Nature Recovery Partnership brings together around 100 local organisations with a shared vision for protecting and restoring nature in East Anglia. It is convened by Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils.

The Partnership was created to develop the Norfolk & Suffolk 25 Year Environment Plan, and has worked with the University of East Anglia to create a comprehensive inventory of nature in both counties, The Natural Capital Evidence Compendium.

Due to the significant advantages of working closely with neighbouring counties in the development of Local Nature Recovery Strategies, the Partnership's main focus from 2024 to late 2025 was the development of a strategy for each county. The final strategies were published on 31 October 2025.

From publication, the Partnership's focus will shift to delivery and implementation. Please check back regularly for more information on how we will action nature recovery across the region.

A view along the River Stour at Nayland, Suffolk.

Why Recover Nature?

Here in Norfolk and Suffolk we have a higher number of important habitats than the national average, but 75% of these are isolated patches that need connecting. Creating new connections will help the wildlife within these habitats survive changes to local weather patterns caused by our warming planet, and the effects of ongoing human population growth.

The latest data show that wildlife in England is struggling to survive change, with population numbers declining across all major groups including:

43%
of birds

31%
of amphibians
and reptiles

28%
of fungi
and lichen.

That’s why work to restore habitats and make new connections between them is called nature “recovery”; changing how we use and manage land to help wildlife population size, distribution and health.
‍

‍Benefits of Nature Recovery
‍The habitats and species of Norfolk and Suffolk give the area a unique beauty enjoyed by residents and tourists, but they are also essential to our daily lives in ways we can’t easily see, including: ‍

Pollinating our food crops
Filtering air and water
Keeping soils healthy
Improving drainage to reduce flooding

Cooling urban areas
Supporting physical and mental health and wellbeing
Capturing carbon

Our economy and society thrive when nature is strong and healthy. So how do we make this happen?

“Bigger, better, more
and more joined-up"

‍The Lawton Report

Creating a National Nature Recovery Network

‍A group of high quality, well-connected habitats is called a nature network. The goal of nature recovery work is to create new networks or make existing networks bigger, more connected and resilient to change.

A diagram showing the differences between a fragmented landscape and a well connected landscape.

About the Partnership

Why Recover Nature?

Creating a National Nature Recovery Network