In his farmhouse kitchen in central Essex, Simon Lyster chats about local nature recovery. He is Chair of the Essex Local Nature Partnership that comprises 40 organisations. Like all counties there is now an obligation to produce a statutory Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS). This is a spatial map of the whole county, where the aim is to protect and conserve 30% of the land and sea are by 2030 (30 by 30). It’s about making nature “bigger, better, and more connected.”

Over several decades, we have lost bio-abundance. We can recall the moth snowstorms driving at night. Now they are gone. Simon tells of personal stories of being in a hole, and getting out.

Simon recommends The Moth Snowstorm by Mike McCarthy.

He says on action: “Bring joy. We need to talk more of joy.”

“If you’ve got a bit of garden, let it go wild. Make a little pond. If you don’t, then plant a window box for insects.”

Local Nature Recovery Strategy: https://www.essex.gov.uk/about-council/plans-and-strategies/environment-and-planning/local-nature-recovery-strategy 

https://essexnaturepartnership.com/lnrs/ 

My new book will be supporting this podcast, and will be published in March 2027 by Unbreaking/5m. It’s called "Bamboo and Butterfly: Transformation and Story for Climate and Nature Recovery."