This page is a quick reference resource for volunteer recorders and community groups. Here you can access a simple interactive map of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) and download copies of the priority species lists.
The official resources for the LNRS are published on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority's website here. We recommend visiting the official website when you get the chance. As well as the full official resources you'll also get lots of additional information about nature recovery and an explanation of why and how the LNRS was developed.
The Local Nature Recovery Strategy is Greater Manchester's plan to help protect and restore nature across the city-region. It highlights the most important existing places for wildlife and sets out the most important actions to improve habitats and support nature's recovery. Whether you're a volunteer wildlife recorder or part of a community group the LNRS helps coordinate efforts to make a real difference.
Since February 2024 Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) has been a legal requirement for most new developments in England. This means developers must ensure projects result in a minimum 10% net gain in biodiversity compared to the pre-development baseline and this gain must be maintained for 30 years minimum.
The LNRS mapping plays a key role in guiding where and how these biodiversity improvements should be delivered. Developers are encouraged to align their BNG delivery with the LNRS footprint and actions (practical measures). In short, doing habitat enhancement aligned with the LNRS maps provides a greater biodiversity unit value. Conversely habitat loss within LNRS mapped areas is subject to greater scrutiny and larger biodiversity unit costs.
If you'd prefer to use your own GIS you can download the official LNRS layers from here (for free).
Clicking on mapped objects will open a popup info window explaining what priorities have been mapped over a given point. To get started click on the map image below.
Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database rights 2025 (OS licence number: OS AC0000808397); Contains Natural England data © Crown copyright and database rights 2025; Contains Forestry Commission data © Crown copyright and database rights 2025; Contains Rural Payments Agency data © 2025 Rural Payments Agency; Contains Woodland Trust data - reproduced with the permission of The Woodland Trust for use in Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) purposes only, subject to the conditions of their non-commercial licence; Contains Greater Manchester Ecology Unit data © Crown copyright and database rights 2025.
During the development of the LNRS a comprehensive review of Greater Manchester's most at risk species was undertaken. GMLRC records were combined with Local Expert input to generate our longlist which contains over 400 priority species including birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, invertebrates, plants, fungi and lichens.
Download as a PDF or CSV (Spreadsheet)
These species were selected from the long-list based upon their need for tailored conservation action to meaningfully reverse their decline. Local experts refined our short-list using criteria such as urgency, feasibility, and broader ecological benefits. Because these species require bespoke interventions, the full LNRS outlines specific measures designed to halt their decline and support long-term recovery.
Download as a PDF or XLSX (Spreadsheet)
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info@gmwildlife.org.uk
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