The LNRS Viewer allows you to explore the spatial priorities and opportunities identified in Devon's Local Nature Recovery Strategy. Whether you're a landowner, planner, community group, or simply interested in Devon’s natural environment, the viewer helps you understand where and how nature recovery can be supported.
Please read this page before launching the LNRS Viewer via the link at the bottom of the page.
What you can do with the Viewer
- Understand priorities for nature: see where nature recovery actions are most needed across Devon.
- Understand local context: zoom in and look at the priorities for nature where you live and work.
- Inform your projects: use the data to guide action, such as land management decisions, funding or community nature projects.
- Collaborate: work with others to achieve Devon’s shared vision for nature recovery.
What's on the Viewer
These are areas where actions are most needed. The layers show:
County Wildlife Sites (CWS)
(text to be added)
Habitats
Existing habitats, expansion and buffer zones and landscapes likely to have the physical conditions needed for specialist habitats such as heaths, chalk and limestone grasslands, blanket bogs and mires (for example soils, slopes, climate).
Species
Areas where landscape-scale action is required for more mobile Focus Species (bats, birds, butterflies). Areas that support Focus Species but are not mapped as habitats such as Teign Gorge rock spiders and Plymouth quarry spiders.
Wider benefits
The community access to nature layer shows land within 500m of village halls and schools where accessible wildlife is most needed. Layers relating to water quality and flooding are under Other useful layers.
Click on an opened High Opportunity Area on the map and an information box will open up (work in progress - please look at Wood white butterfly and Wildlife-rich grassland as examples). This includes headline actions and a link to the relevant LNRS webpage with more detailed information.
These layers show all statutory and non-statutory wildlife sites as well as statutory irreplaceable habitats. These sites are hugely important for wildlife and it is important to know whether land is designated. If it is, you are more likely to get funding for management.
Do not carry out actions if they conflict with statutory requirements, for example SSSIs.
Please check this layer and see Environmental Considerations (to be added) for details and contacts.
This will show land where the higher strategic significance score applies under Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). It is basically the High Opportunity Areas layers without SSSIs and Irreplaceable Habitats (as these are excluded from BNG).
Wherever you are in Devon there are actions that you can take to help restore wildlife. Links in the information box on the Viewer will take you to more detailed information in relevant sections of the LNRS.
These are additional layers that provide important context and help guide broader nature recovery actions. They include soilscapes, broader species zones, water quality and natural flood management catchments as well as agricultural land classification, common land, protected landscapes, landscape character and more.
How to use the Viewer
Please accept the Terms and Conditions when opening the LNRS Viewer in order to proceed.
There are two ways to open layers within the Viewer.
Option 1
Located on the left side of the viewer, the layers list allows you to switch on (or switch off) map layers.
When you open the Viewer, you'll find a Layers section on the left-hand side. If you cannot see this, use the ' > ' symbol in the white box on the left side of the screen to expand it.
Once you are in the Layers section, click on the ' > ' icon next to Local Nature Recovery Strategy Public to open up each group of layers. This icon will appear next to every layer group that can be expanded.
- ✅ Green tick = Layer or group is switched on
- ⬜ Empty box = Layer or group is switched off
To view a specific layer, all layers above it must also be ticked (enabled).
You can choose to view several layers at a time: layers higher up the list will appear over the top of layers lower down the list. You may have to uncheck higher layers to see lower layers. Layers may also take time to load, particularly if they are large (data-rich) layers or if your broadband speed is low.
Option 2
The Near Me tool allows you to find and explore layers within a specified distance of a selected point or within a polygon that you have drawn on the map.
Please note: This tool is only showing examples at the moment.
- Open the Near Me tool
- Click the Near Me icon in the top-right toolbar.
- Select drawing tool
- Option A
- Choose Point.
- Choose searchable distance.
- Choose a location by clicking anywhere on the map or drag and drop your point onto the map. This will search for features or data layers within the set distance from that point.
- Option B
- Choose Polygon.
- Use the polygon tool to draw a shape on the map.
- Double click on the last node to draw your shape.
- Option A
- View results
- A list of high opportunity areas within the search area will appear in the right-hand panel.
- Click on any item to see more details or zoom to its location.
- Bin
- Click on the trash can symbol to clear your selection.
Pop-ups
To access the information box (or pop-up) on a layer you have opened, click directly on a feature within that layer on the map to view its information.
Please note: pop-ups have only been enabled on the following examples:
- Wood white butterfly
- Wildlife-rich grasslands (existing)
Useful tools
Home
Click on the home icon to reset the map to its full extent.
Zoom
Use your mouse scroll wheel or the zoom buttons (+/-) to zoom in and out. Click and drag to move around the map.
1. Choose what is visible
(ignore this)
2. Search
Use the search bar to find specific locations (such as postcodes, towns, landmarks).
3. Near me
(explained above)
4. Legend
The Legend allows you to display any labels and symbols for layers in the Viewer.
5. Basemap gallery
This allows you to change the background map (or basemap) that appears under the data layers.