Skip to main content

West Midlands Natural Environment Plan: 2021 - 2026

Appendix 1

Theme 1: Access to green and blue spaces

Aim

  • To support delivery of new projects to improve access to green space (e.g. creation of community pocket parks) or other projects supporting biodiversity in communities (e.g. food growing projects).

Y1 focus

  • To establish the grant scheme and roll out the first Community Green Grants, working with regional stakeholders.

Success by 2026

  • A network of WMCA green spaces, owned
    by community groups. Additional funding secured for the continuation of the programme.

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • Lead

Stakeholders include

  • Business community. Third sector organisations. Community groups. Local authorities. Landowners.

Investment secured

  • An initial £725k committed by WMCA with the intention to find additional resource and align with complementary activity, for example, Woodland Trust's community tree packs.

Aim

  • We will continue to work with Birmingham City University on the West Midlands National Park to transform the vision into practical action through the implementation of their awards programme.

Y1 focus

  • Finalisation of the awards programme and initial projects identified.
  • The WMNP website developed for mapping projects and programmes.

Success by 2026

  • To have a network of projects awarded by the West Midlands National Park showcased on the dedicated website.

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • enable

Stakeholders include

  • Birmingham City University.
    WMNP Foundation Board.
  • Local authorities. Other stakeholders engaged through BCU governance.

Investment secured

  • An ongoing programme requiring investment. An initial £25k of support has been provided to the WMNP.

Aim

  • Work with partners to create a new national trail in the West Midlands.

Y! focus

  • To identify the process for establishing a new national trail and convening the relevant stakeholder group

Success by 2026

  • Have identified a potential route, bearing in mind rights of access and landowner permissions. Initial sections mapped.

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • Convene

Stakeholders include

  • Local authorities. national organisations (including the National Trust, The Ramblers Association, the Canal and River Trust and Natural England) and local walking groups.

Investment Secured

  • TBC – investment sought for implementation once initial scoping completed.

Aim

  • We will work with Transport for West Midlands at the early stages of programme/ project development to include green infrastructure as part of the transport network, e.g. green roofs on shelters, semi-natural habitat into verges /leftover land.

Y1 focus

  • TfWM and WMCA will work together to develop a pipeline of projects that we can influence immediately. In addition, we need to understand what we can influence through the Local Transport Plan.

Success by 2026

  • We will work through the Local Transport Plan and with existing governance structures, including Strategic Transport Officers Group, to understand potential and deliver projects across the region.

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • enable

Stakeholders include

  • TfWM.
  • Local authorities.
  • Private sector.

Investment secured

  • Understand how we might leverage additional investment from existing schemes to support this initiative in the first instance.

Theme 2: Tree and hedgerow planting

Aim

  • Develop an annual plan/ targets for tree and hedgerow planting, to be delivered with partners through the Virtual Forest.

  • Through the expansion of the Virtual Forest platform, explore ways we can replant historic forests like Shakespeare’s Forest of Arden

  • Bring major regional landowners together in a ‘tree planting summit’ to promote collaboration.

Y1 focus

  • We will bring together regular meetings of the Virtual Forest stakeholders to discuss tree planting targets and events and opportunities for the coming year. We will produce a tree planting pipeline and ensure trees are registered on the website. We will also organise a tree planting summit and start to build a potential land bank for natural environment projects, with a focus on tree planting

Success by 2026

  • The Five Year Plan has a target to plant 5.7m trees by 2026.

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • Lead

Stakeholders include

  • Local authorities.
  • Local tree planting groups.
  • Environmental NGOs.
  • Landowners.
  • Other private sector investors.
  • Woodland Trust.

Investment secured

  • Funding available through the WMCA environment budget for convening. Tree planting will require additional budget.

Aim

  • Support the urban forest masterplan initiated in Birmingham and explore the potential to create a regional urban forest strategy

  • Support initiatives from partners that align with our outcomes, for example the Commonwealth Games Legacy Forest by Severn Trent Water

Y1 focus

  • Showcase and support regional projects to provide profile and support delivery where these align with WMCA priorities.

Success by 2026

  • Work with other partners across the region to support the delivery of the five year tree planting target.

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • Enable

Stakeholders include

  • Local authorities.
  • Regional business.
  • Tree planting groups.

Investment secured

  • Support will be through communications and strategic support where appropriate.

Aim

  • Run a ‘right tree, right place’ campaign.

Y1 focus

  • The campaign will be run as part of the wider WM2041 communication activity in the 2021/22 tree planting season.

Success by 2026

  • Updates will be made to the communications each year via the Virtual Forest website.

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • Lead

Stakeholders include

  • Woodland Trust.
  • Wildlife Trusts.
  • Forestry Commission.

Investment secured

  • N/A. This will form part of the new WMCA website Environment pages
    and the Virtual Forest platform

Aim

  • Work with the Woodland Trust and other tree-planting groups to explore setting up West Midlands Tree Nursery locations of British native species where residents with gardens or land where they wish to plant a tree can collect or purchase discounted saplings, potentially working with garden centres in the region.

Y1 focus

  • Scope out the potential for the WM Tree Nursery, including sites and developing the business case

Success by 2026

  • Depending on interest from regional stakeholders, including local businesses, roll out initial locations ahead of 2022/2023 tree planting season.

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • Enable

Stakeholders include

  • Woodland Trust.
  • Virtual Forest stakeholders.
  • Local authorities.
  • Garden centres.

Investment secured

  • TBC – this will require a full business case to be developed.

Aim

  • Explore incorporating tree-lined streets into the finished design for every West Midlands transport scheme which involves redesigning streets and is funded by the Combined Authority.

Y1 focus

  • TfWM and WMCA will work together to develop a pipeline of projects that we can influence immediately. In addition, we need to understand what we can influence through the Local Transport Plan.

Success by 2026

  • We will work through the Local Transport Plan and with existing governance structures, including Strategic Transport Officers Group, to understand potential and deliver projects across the region.

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • Enable

Stakeholders include

  • TfWM.
  • Local authorities.
  • Private sector.

Investment secured

  • Understand how we might leverage additional investment from existing schemes to support
    this initiative in the first instance.

Theme 3: Wildlife corridors

Aim

  • Establish a Wildlife Corridors Commission to maximise the connectivity, for both people and wildlife, between green spaces and along blue corridors.

Y1 focus

  • Build Commission Advisory Group and launch tender for work. Establish priority corridors for investment through mapping.

Success by 2026

  • To have a Local Nature Recovery Strategy in place delivering biodiversity net gain through improved wildlife corridors. Activity taking place on the 5 priority corridors identified in the plan.

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • lead

Stakeholders include

  • Local authorities.
  • Environmental NGOs.
  • TfWM.
  • Private sector partners.

Investment secured

  • The Commission will be run within the budget of the WMCA natural capital programme.
  • Additional resource will need to be identified for projects.

Aim

  • Roll out regional good practice,
    for example explore potential of a regional Wildlife Ways programme, building on the work in Solihull. Projects would include: tree, hedgerow and wildflower planting, small habitat grants for local conservation projects and improved cycling and walking access.

Y1 focus

  • Explore the potential with partners across the region and develop a business case.

Success by 2026

  • Support delivery if funding secured.

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • Lead

Stakeholders include

  • Local authorities.
  • Environmental NGOs.
  • TfWM.
  • Private sector partners.

Investment secured

  • The Commission will be run within the budget of the WMCA natural capital programme. Additional resource will need to be identified for projects.

Aim

  • Roll out regional good practice, for example explore potential of a regional Wildlife Ways programme, building on the work in Solihull. Projects would include: tree, hedgerow and wildflower planting, small habitat grants for local conservation projects and improved cycling and walking access.

Y1 focus

  • Explore the potential with partners across the region and develop a business case.

Success by 2026

  • Support delivery if funding secured.

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • Enable

Stakeholders include

  • Local authorities.
  • TfWM.
  • Private sector partners.
  • Environmental and conservation NGOs.

Investment secured

  • This will require identification of external funding in order to invest in a region-wide programme. We will explore all opportunities identified in Section 4.1 of this p lan.

Aim

  • Identify links to specific species recovery as part of work for the Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

Y1 focus

  • Work with stakeholders to identify priority species for recovery

  • Include in habitat mapping

Success by 2026

  • Evidence of further species recovery through natural capital interventions as part of the annual State of the Region’s Nature report.

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • Enable

Stakeholders include

  • RSPB.
  • Natural England.
  • Wildlife Trusts.
  • Local authorities.

Investment secured

  • This will require significant additional funding, to be included as part of other
    funded work. The action will mainly be
    to partner with other organisations.

Aims

  • Complete a habitat map, building on the work already being undertaken by regional stakeholders, to indicate priority areas for nature recovery.
  • Build this into a more comprehensive interactive map to provide up-to- date information on the natural environment across the WMCA area.

Y1 focus

  • Scope out the requirements needed for the mapping and identify where there are gaps in data/ data requirements. We will work with regional stakeholders to identify what these are.

Success by 2026

  • Up-to-date and relevant maps that guide the region’s investment into natural capital. Additional layers will also enable an understanding of potential links with nature-based solutions for climate adaptation and air quality improvements, for example.

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • Lead

Stakeholders include

  • Local authorities.
  • Wildlife Trusts.
  • Other environmental NGOs.
  • Defra.

Investment secured

  • Investment to be secured.

Theme 4: Enablers of change

Aim

  • Build natural environment indicators into the WM Net Zero Business Pledge so businesses understand how they can support natural capital.

Y1 focus

  • Work with businesses and business organisations to support natural environment investment.

Success by 2026

  • Develop a ‘natural environment exchange’ platform where project ideas, land, investment and skills can be shared to support acceleration of project delivery.

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • Lead

Stakeholders include

  • Sustainability West Midlands.
  • LEPs.
  • Business in the Community.
  • Individual organisations (of all sectors and sizes).

Investment secured

  • Investment secured for business pledge start-up. Identifying sponsorship to expand the programme.

Aim

  • Implement effective data collection and monitoring of the region’s natural environment as a foundation for the Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

Y1 focus

  • Have a clear baseline for the state of the region’s nature. This will for part of the work of the Centre for Climate Data approved as part of the WM2041 Five Year Plan.

Success by 2026

  • Produce an annual ‘State of the Region’s Nature’ report, to be presented at the Environment and Energy Board.

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • Lead

stakeholders include

  • Local authorities.
  • Wildlife Trusts.
  • Other environmental NGOs.
  • Defra.
  • Local Nature Partnerships

Investment secured

  • Some funding has been secured for the Centre for Climate Data as part of the Five Year Plan.

Aim

  • Develop a Natural Capital Investment Plan and explore new finance mechanisms, e.g. leveraging of private sector finance, taking on board the Dasgupta Review recommendations.

Y1 focus

  • Scope Natural Capital Investment Plan to cover investment in green and blue space across the region supporting biodiversity net gain but also nature-based solutions for climate resilience.

Success by 2026

  • Continue to build and diversify the Natural Capital Investment Plan. Secure investment for natural capital programmes.

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • Lead

Stakeholders include

  • Local authorities
  • Defra
  • Financial institutions
  • Private sector Environmental
  • NGOs

Investment secured

  • Funding to be secured.
  • Work with WMCA Green Finance Lead to develop proposition.

Aim

  • Work with the proposed WM2041 Citizen’s Panel to support new natural environment initiatives.

  • Run a programme of citizen science activity to support engagement in natural environment initiatives.

Y1 focus

  • The citizen’s panel will have been established and it will be clear how all parts of the environment/ net zero work will be part of the conversation.

Success by 2026

  • Natural environment and access to green space for West Midlands communities will form an ongoing part of the Citizen’s Panel work programme

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • Lead

Stakeholders include

  • Local authorities.
  • Universities.
  • Wildlife Trusts.
  • NGOs.
  • Community groups.
  • Commonwealth Games.

Stakeholders include

  • Local authorities.
  • Universities.
  • Wildlife Trusts.
  • NGOs.
  • Community groups.
  • Commonwealth Games.

Investment secured

  • The WMCA has committed £150k to establish and run a Citizen’s Panel to work on regional net zero and environment priorities.

Aim

  • Trial a natural capital apprenticeships scheme as part of the Green Skills Strategy (to be delivered as part of the FYP).

Y1 focus

  • Build on work that is being trialled elsewhere (including as part of Birmingham City Council’s Future Parks Accelerator) to explore opportunities and career pathways.

Success by 2026

  • Trials undertaken to test natural capital apprenticeships and uptake.

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • Enable

Stakeholders include

  • Colleges and FE providers
  • Potential employers.
  • Local authorities.
  • Wildlife Trusts.

Investment secured

  • To be secured as part of the WMCA’s work on green skills.

Aim

  • Include natural environment projects as part of the region’s Net Zero Neighbourhood Demonstrator.

Y1 focus

  • Work with the selected neighbourhood(s) to identify priority areas for the natural environment as part of the system change.

Success by 2026

  • Natural capital and biodiversity net gain
    will feature in the delivery of the selected neighbourhood, along with other elements of the net zero ‘system’ (energy, mobility and built environment)

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • Lead

Stakeholders include

  • Energy Capital.
  • Local authorities.
  • Communities in selected neighbourhood(s).

Investment secured

  • The WMCA has committed £2m
    to the Net Zero Neighbourhood demonstrator programme.
  • Further funding will be leveraged for this programme.

Aim

  • Implement behaviour change initiatives to support the natural environment vision and outcomes, e.g. provide information on climate resilient species to plant on the WMCA website.

Y1 focus

  • Have a clear programme for behaviour change, as well as the methods, to begin running campaigns. The first campaign will be linked to tree planting.

Success by 2026

  • Develop other initiatives that can be supported through behaviour change, e.g. water efficiency; planting to support climate resilience.

WMCA role (lead/ enable/ convene)

  • Lead

Stakeholders include

  • Local authorities.
  • Commonwealth Games.
  • Private sector.
  • Environmental NGOs.

Investment secured

  • Have some budget to run behaviour change work. Have also secured some funding linked to the Commonwealth Games from DCMS. Further funding will be secured on a programme-by- programme basis.
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
Previous page