Editing Local nature reserve (section)

==Establishment of nature reserves==
To establish a LNR, the declaring local authority must first have a legal interest in the land concerned, for example, they could own it, lease it or have a nature reserve agreement with the owner. The land must lie within the area which the declaring authority controls.

LNRs are of local, but not necessarily national, importance.<ref name =naturenet>[https://naturenet.net/status/lnr.html ''lnr''] at naturenet.net. Retrieved 6 May 2022.</ref> LNRs are almost always owned by local authorities, who often pass the management of the LNR onto County [[The Wildlife Trusts|Wildlife Trusts]].<ref name =naturenet/> LNRs also often have good public access and facilities.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}} An LNR can also be an [[Site of Special Scientific Interest|SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest)]], but often is not, or may have other designations (although an LNR cannot also be a [[national nature reserve (United Kingdom)|national nature reserve]]).<ref>Section 21(1), National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949</ref> Except where the site is an SSSI, there is no legal necessity to manage an LNR to any set standard, but management agreements often exist.<ref name =naturenet/>

An LNR may be given protection against damaging operations. It also has certain protection against development on and around it. This protection is usually given via the [[local plan]] (produced by the [[planning authority]]), and often supplemented by local by-laws. However, there is no national legal protection specifically for LNRs.<ref name =naturenet/>

=== Information ===
Information on LNRs is available from the Countryside Council for Wales (''A Place for Nature at your Doorstep: the role of Local Nature Reserves'', 2004), Natural England (''Local Nature Reserves: places for people and wildlife'', 2000) and [[Scottish Natural Heritage]] (''Local Nature Reserves in Scotland: a guide to their selection and declaration'', 2000).