Science and monitoring have always been an important part of the function of National Nature Reserves (NNRs). This strategic plan provides a path to better coordination of science and monitoring on reserves to ensure NNRs produce high-quality evidence that addresses priority questions and themes in the environmental sciences. It also aims to ensure that this evidence has impact and is used by conservation practitioners within and beyond Natural England. It establishes a long-term vision for NNR science, provides goals for the next 5 years and outlines actions needed to achieve them.
The goals for NNR science in the next 5 years are:
1. NNR evidence is catalogued and accessible
2. NNRs are used to build an environmental evidence base
3. NNR science has impact, strong partnerships and necessary infrastructure
These goals will help achieve the vision that Natural England’s NNRs should excel as ‘outdoor laboratories’ and provide facilities for high quality research and monitoring outputs and significantly contribute to land-based environmental science (biological, geological and social). They should showcase science leadership by undertaking innovation, providing and sharing the best available evidence, ensuring collaboration with partners and capability building across the organisation. This strategic plan outlines what is needed and how to move towards this vision.