The High Opportunity Nature Areas are important for the county so that nature recovery can be more targeted, and habitats and people can be more joined up to help achieve the target to have 30% of UK land as wildlife-rich areas by 2030.
If you are doing something on your land to help nature recovery in some way or are thinking about doing something different with your land within the next 10 years, then this is the land we want to include in the High Opportunity Nature Areas map.
Find out more about mapping for Nature Recovery Dorset.
Benefits of being in the High Opportunity Nature Areas map
Attract funding
The High Opportunity Nature Areas map will be one of the tools used to guide the allocation or a range of public, private and voluntary sector funding. For example:
- Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMs)
- Biodiversity Net Gain strategic significance multiplier
- environment mitigation funds such as nutrient, recreation or air quality
- emerging ecosystem markets or green finance
Promote your contribution
Promote what you are doing for nature recovery, or your ambition to do something to more people. This can lead to reputational and financial benefits.
Share learning, motivate others to take action, and help show how Dorset is contributing to the 30by30 target to have 30% of the UK's land as nature-rich areas by 2030.
Connect with others
Help bring together everyone's efforts across the county onto 1 map and see how your activities or proposal sits alongside other things happening across the wider landscape.
Consider joining up with your neighbours to deliver activities in partnership.
Choose how you use it
Submit what nature recovery activities you want to do or get ideas to help you plan what might be suitable on your land.
You can also share any maps you've already got or get help to map your area.
Important information about being included
There is no obligation
Statutory guidance states that "the strategies do not force the owners and managers of the land identified to make any changes".
Maps should show activity that is likely to be delivered in the next 10 years, but land managers and owners maintain flexibility to identify what activities and funding options will work best for you.
The Nature Recovery Dorset maps acts as a guide. They are not a prescription and will not replace your own management plans and decisions.
The strategy is for everyone in Dorset, it is not the council's strategy, Dorset Council are simply facilitating the preparation process.
There are no new restrictions
Being in the High Opportunity Nature Areas is not a designation. Designation processes are separate to the local nature recovery strategy work. Nature recovery is about increasing nature-richness across the whole county, not just small pockets of protected sites.
The strategy will identify where there is opportunity to manage land in ways that enhance biodiversity long-term. This includes nature recovery done as part of sustainable farming practices and development.
There are no new access rights
High Opportunity Nature Areas will not give any new access to land. The map will include a clear explanation that it does not show places for public access and recreation.
Access will continue to require landowner permission, except for existing access rights such as rights of way or open access land, or sites that wish to be show as open to visitors.
There is a choice on how your land will be displayed
There will be option to discuss any concerns around data sensitivity and exactly how your area appears on the map, such as:
- blurring boundaries of a site
- including a link to your website
- visual differences in how sites that promote access are displayed
What you need to do to be included in the High Opportunity Nature Areas
If you'd like to put your land forward to be included in the High Opportunity Nature Areas, please either:
- complete this form between Monday 19 August - Friday 11 October 2024
- contact us if you'd like your land to be included but would like to discuss things further, or arrange for someone to complete the form with you over the phone
Key dates:
- December 2024 - February 2025: statutory consultation on the draft Dorset local nature recovery strategy
- Spring 2025: Publication of the Dorset local nature recovery strategy
After publication the High Opportunity Nature Areas map cannot be changed until the strategy is reviewed, which the Defra secretary of state will instruct us to do in 3-10 years. There remains no obligation to undertake nature recovery activities in the High Opportunity Nature Areas.
Some of these dates may change, see our timeline for the latest updates.