West Midlands Local Nature Recovery Strategy 2025
Published 24 October 2025
Updated 02 December 2025
Documents
Alternative formats
Details
The natural environment across the WMCA region is a vital regional asset - supporting biodiversity, climate resilience, public health, and economic prosperity.
Spanning 90,000 hectares, and encompassing seven local authorities, it comprises a unique patchwork of heavily populated urban and post-industrial landscapes, 520 miles of canals, parks, brownfield sites, surrounding agriculture and an estimated 4.9 million urban trees that form a rich and complex landscape.
Despite being a largely urbanised region, it holds significant ecological value and potential.
Nature in the WMCA region contributes £676 million in ecosystem services annually, regulating climate, supporting physical and mental health, reducing pollution, and increasing property values.
The tree canopy alone (14.4% of land cover) stores 1.9 million tonnes of carbon, removes 206 tonnes of pollutants annually, and provides £73.45 million in yearly benefits.
However, our region’s nature is under pressure from a range of risks including, habitat loss due to land development, poor land management and fragmented ecological networks, pollution from roads, industry, and agriculture, invasive species such as Japanese knotweed, recreational pressure damaging sensitive habitats and climate change accelerating habitat degradation and species loss.
Addressing this will require urgent and large-scale action.
The West Midlands Local Nature Recovery Strategy marks the first time a detailed, unified view of nature in the WMCA region, along with clear priorities for nature recovery and target locations for action, has been brought together in one place.
Building on years of work by regional stakeholders, the LNRS provides a shared vision and coordinated strategy that transcends administrative and political boundaries to deliver greater impact for nature. It enables everyone, from environmental organisations and local authorities to landowners, businesses, and engaged citizens, to see where nature recovery efforts will be most effective.
This collective approach supports the national goal of halting biodiversity loss while ensuring local priorities are met. LNRSs were mandated by the Environment Act 2021 and regulated by the 2023 LNRS Regulations.
The West Midlands LNRS is one of 48 strategies, forming a national Nature Recovery Network, ensuring comprehensive, connected nature recovery across England.
Read the full strategy via an accessible download via the link above.