By Tony Juniper CBE, Chair of Natural England
Nature recovery has taken a major step forward this week with the unveiling of one of the country’s most important National Nature Reserves by a long-standing champion of the natural world – His Majesty King Charles III.
Secretary of State, Emma Reynolds, Tony Juniper and His Majesty, King Charles III at the Seven Sisters National Nature ReserveThe launch of the new Seven Sisters National Nature Reserve in East Sussex marks the halfway point in the declaration of the King’s Series of NNRs, begun in 2023 with a target of declaring 25 NNRs by 2028.
Building on 70 years of NNR declarations, the King’s Series was created to celebrate the King’s Coronation and to highlight the elevated ambition for Nature recovery in England. Most of the nation’s 224 NNRs were established during the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II to protect our finest sites for habitat, species and geology, but today we are moving beyond protection as we seek to restore Nature at scale.
NNRs are the battery packs for Nature recovery, powering growing networks which stretch from the uplands to the seas and offering opportunities for people to connect with and study the natural world.
The King’s Series showcases the principles set out by Prof Sir John Lawton in his 2010 report 'Making Space For Nature'. His conclusion was that we needed more, bigger, better and connected spaces for Nature, and over the last few years Natural England and our partners have collaborated to help achieve that outcome from these sites. Together we are moving the dial to active Nature recovery, restoring ecosystems to create more dynamic wildlife communities that are resilient to climate change and support a sustainable economy, national security and a healthy population.
These NNRs are providing a wider range of services to a wider range of people, including storing carbon, providing sustainable food production and clean water and air, reducing flood risk and creating Nature-rich places for people to enjoy.
King Charles III inaugurating Seven Sisters NNR, accompanied by Tony Juniper, marking the halfway point of the King’s Series of National Nature Reserves.The 13 reserves declared so far, including Seven Sisters, now cover an area of 65 square miles, twice the size of the city of Brighton. This includes 4,500 hectares of non-SSSI land which supports targets to manage 30 percent of land and seas by 2030.
Our partnerships have expanded, with 22 new organisations so far becoming approved bodies (those authorised by NE to manage NNRs), including environmental non-government organisations, private bodies, businesses and local authorities. Many more individuals and communities are also working in support of their local NNR.
The fact that we are on target to complete the 25-NNR King’s Series over five years is a tribute to the incredible partnerships that have come together for Nature and the dedication of the Natural England staff involved.
Almost 1.4 million people live within 5km (3 miles) of a King’s Series Nature reserve and there are already an estimated 3 million visits a year.
Each NNR in the King’s Series has something special about it. As Chair of Natural England I can’t have favourites, but here are some highlights!
· The King’s Series began with the Lincolnshire Coronation Coast, a fitting emblem for the new breed of NNRs. It made 33 sq. km of dunes, marsh and mudflat - and their rich array of wildlife - more accessible to some of the 10 percent most deprived neighbourhoods in England living within walking distance of the reserve. It stands as a shining example of how NNRs can drive Nature recovery at the same time as invigorating communities and the economy, and I was proud to be able to accompany the King as we saw its special qualities for ourselves shortly before the declaration.
Lincolnshire Coronation Coast National Nature Reserve, September 2023· Declarations then followed at Mendip in Somerset, where over 30 local Nature sites joined together to better connect Nature across the Mendip landscape.
Partners with plaques, Mendip NNR Declaration, 19 October 2023· Pebblebed Heaths in Devon, which includes climate change adaptation through lowland heath and river restoration projects.
· Bradgate Park and Swithland Wood in Leicestershire, which is underlain by geology with some the oldest fossils on Earth and attracts over 750,000 visitors a year.
Bradgate Park and Swithland Wood National Nature Reserve, May 2024· Moccas Park and Gillian’s Wood in Herefordshire, where the focus is ancient woodland regeneration and recovery of the associated rare species.
· Borrowdale Rainforest in Cumbria, England’s largest temperate rainforest, where sustainable upland farming is critical.
Marian Spain, CEO of Natural England, emerging from a very wet woodland at the declaration event for the Borrowdale National Nature Reserve, 22 May 2024. Credit: Phil Cullen· Bradford Pennine Gateway in West Yorkshire, one of Condé Nast Traveller magazine’s ‘Seven Wonders of the World’ for 2026, where accessible Nature is inspiring the next generation.
Shipley Glen, Bradford Pennine Gateway National Nature Reserve, May 2025· North Kent Woods and Downs which is within 5 miles of half a million people and is supported by multiple communities and neighbouring landowners.
· Wealden Heaths in Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex which has the largest local partnership with 9 managing organisations working together.
· Risley Holcroft and Chat Moss in Cheshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester, a biodiversity hotspot with carbon management and flood alleviation projects in the heart of the Manchester-Warrington-Liverpool urban belt.
Tony Juniper unveiling the plaque celebrating the declaration of Risley, Holcroft and Chat Moss National Nature Reserve, July 2025· Stiperstones Landscape in Shropshire, with the largest area of non-SSSI land so far, contributing to 30 by 30 targets.
Nipstone Rock, Stiperstones National Nature Reserve, August 2025· Ingleborough in North Yorkshire, a significant extension to the original NNR opened by the then HRH Prince Charles in 1992, and part of a wider partnership and Landscape Recovery Project.
· Rounding off the first half of the King’s Series is the world renowned Seven Sisters chalk cliffs and coast which attracts up to a million visitors per year, making it one of England's most visited NNRs. Local communities also benefit from a supply of naturally-filtered drinking water.
The King’s Series of NNRs is taking Nature recovery to a new level and demonstrating what can be achieved when people and organisations come together to put the natural world at the heart of our communities. It leads to more opportunities to engage with Nature, attract investment and create better places in which people live and work, all of which benefits the economy, national security and our long-term resilience to climate change. I am very proud of what Natural England staff and our partners have managed to accomplish in just a few years and I would like to thank them all for their enormous efforts.
Natural England’s Board has approved further declarations which will be announced during the course of this year, at Cheltenham Escarpment in Gloucestershire, Mid Cornwall Moors, and Lyscombe in Dorset. More will follow to complete the series of 25 NNRs by March 2028. Interest in NNRs and the role they play is strong and I look forward to seeing the King’s Series build on its excellent foundations and continue to prove worthy of its regal title.
seen at 14:47, 20 March in Natural England.