King's Series of National Nature Reserves to be launched

The first in a series of new National Nature Reserves (NNR) to mark the coronation has been revealed.

Lincolnshire Coronation Coast NNR will be formally declared this summer. Covering an area of 31 sq km, it will be centred on existing protected areas at Theddlethorpe and Saltfleetby and contains a variety of sand dunes, saltmarsh, mudflats and freshwater marshes.

Other locations for 2023-24 have not yet confirmed but will likely include Somerset's Mendip Hills, Moccas Park in Herefordshire, Ingleborough in North Yorkshire and Lullington in East Sussex, according to Natural England.

The first of the 'King's Series of National Nature Reserves' is situated on the north-east Lincolnshire coast (Ian Bollen).

The 'King's Series of National Nature Reserves' plan is expected to see five major sites named every year for the next five years. Natural England said the reserves would "leave a lasting public legacy for people and nature".

The organisation's chair Tony Juniper said King Charles III had been "at the forefront" of ecological discussions for more than five decades. He said: "The National Nature Reserves are the jewels in the crown of England's nature and they are there for wildlife and people alike.

"The first one in this new series will be a very substantial area of protected habitat on the Lincolnshire coast, through which a section of the England Coast Path will soon be opened by Natural England. National Nature Reserves are the most important places for nature in England and provide significant benefits for nature conservation, science and people."