Mayor calls on businesses to back £150million nature recovery plan

The region's biggest ever fundraising drive to attract millions of pounds into a wide variety of nature projects has been launched.

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) estimates £150million of private and public sector funding will be needed to deliver the Local Nature Recovery Strategy and protect and enhance urban nature sites covering an area the size of 50,000 football pitches.

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, and the government’s Nature Minister Mary Creagh launched the Nature Investment Hub with a rally cry to businesses to help meet that target.

The Hub is one of the first regional fundraising platforms of its kind in the UK.

It will connect businesses to a range of projects seeking funding to open up more green spaces, improve biodiversity, air and water quality, and strengthen the region’s resilience to climate change.

The projects will also unlock major benefits for the health, wellbeing and prosperity of residents and businesses, while giving local people opportunities to volunteer and learn new skills for jobs in the fast-expanding green economy.

The Mayor said: “Nature is one of our greatest assets and is in fact critical infrastructure in its own right. Our economy is already £700m a year better off because of nature and our plan will bring additional value to help it survive and thrive.

“We know giving local people better access to nature improves health and wellbeing, which eases pressure on the NHS and helps more people stay in work. Every new tree we plant shields more homes, businesses, roads and railways from the impact of climate change – whether that’s recent heatwaves we experienced or the flooding some areas are prone to.

“I’m delighted businesses want to play their part, and our new Nature Investment Hub will make it easier than ever for them to work with us and help build a greener, healthier future for generations to come.”

Mary Creagh, Minister for Nature and MP for Coventry East, said: “The West Midlands Nature Investment Hub will deliver an impressive range of nature recovery projects – from planting trees and restoring rivers to re-establishing historic heathland.

“This Hub is proof of what can be achieved when we join up investors and businesses committed to environmental improvement with local nature projects ready to deliver action on the ground, and is exactly the type of initiative we want to see more of.”

Cllr Lynnette Kelly, Coventry City Council deputy leader and cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change; Ian Jelley, director of landscape recovery at Warwickshire Wildlife Trust; Nature Minister Mary Creagh; Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands; and Clare Ollerenshaw, West Midlands Combined Authority's Nature Investment Hub project manager, at Lake View Park in Coventry.

The West Midlands is one of five areas partnering with Defra on a place-based delivery pathfinder project to test how Defra can tailor its services to address the needs of different places and communities to deliver local and national priorities.

The Nature Investment Hub is at the heart of this pathfinder to develop and deliver a pipeline of nature recovery projects.

The first £2m of investment opportunities already listed on the Hub include:

• Growing the network of Tiny Forests in Coventry
• Creating a community tree nursery in Birmingham
• Restoring a stretch of river running through Solihull
• Re-establishing historic heathland in the Black Country

To mark the launch, the Mayor, Minister and Coventry City Council deputy leader Lynnette Kelly visited the 30-acre Lake View Park around a mile from Coventry city centre, where Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is already demonstrating the value of investment in urban nature sites.

The River Sherbourne, which runs through the park, has undergone a major restoration to return to its natural flow, having been straightened over time. New wetlands and ponds have been created, providing vital new habitats and feeding grounds for an extraordinary diversity of species from amphibians and aquatic plants to pollinators and birds – all in a relatively small space.

This restoration is reducing the risk of flooding in the area so local people can reap the health and wellbeing benefits of being able to visit the park all year round. Work was carried out with a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

With funding it’s looking to secure through the Hub, the Trust wants to replicate that success through its Ripple Effect Pond Project by creating or restoring another 100 wildlife rich ponds in previous nature hotspots covering a huge area through the Meriden Gap, Solihull, Coventry and into Warwickshire.

Ian Jelley, director of landscape recovery at Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, said: “The new WMCA Nature Investment Hub is a brilliant opportunity for local businesses to support high-impact nature initiatives on their doorstep. It’s a pioneering approach, showing how public, private and environmental partners can work together to scale up nature recovery in a way that is practical, impactful and replicable far beyond our region.

“By backing nature recovery, they can help deliver tangible environmental outcomes locally while also contributing to climate resilience, water management and community wellbeing. Done well, this kind of investment creates a win-win supporting thriving ecosystems alongside sustainable economic growth.”

Cllr Lynnette Kelly, deputy leader and cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change at Coventry City Council, said: “This is a brilliant opportunity for businesses who want to connect with nature and do something that will improve the environment for residents and of course for wildlife.

“There are a wide range of projects, in the city and across the region, and of course what we know is that green initiatives like this also support the local economy and equity of access to vital green spaces. I really hope local businesses choose to step in and get involved – it’s a win, win for all.”

Defra is considering how learnings from the West Midlands and other place pathfinders can inform how Defra delivers services in areas across the country.

Businesses looking to connect with local nature project or organisations interested in funding them can find out more on the Nature Investment Hub website.

Notes to editors:

The WMCA area has 7,000 hectares of accessible green space - 8% of land cover.

But less than a third of the three million population can get to one of these sites within 15 minutes of their home, known as the ‘doorstep’ standard.

The Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS), published last year, will address that with 62 actions that will create new nature sites and give existing green spaces, waterways and wildlife their biggest helping hand to survive and thrive.

The LNRS estimates the annual economic and social value of nature to the region at £676million. That’s through supporting physical and mental health, regulating climate, reducing pollution, and increasing property values.

Around a third of climate adaption needs can be delivered through nature-based solutions.

The region’s five million trees help prevent flooding by absorbing 1.5 million cubic metres of rainwater – that’s enough to fill the pools at Sandwell Aquatics Centre 300 times over. Street trees in particular can help reduce ambient air temperatures by up to 3 degrees Celsius.

Trees also play a vital role in cleaning up the air we breathe by removing over 200,000 tonnes of air-borne pollutants, capturing and storing 57,000 tonnes of carbon every year.

The Mayor has already provided more than £1.6million of WMCA funding to 100 community led environment projects to help them take their own action to protect nature and improve air quality.

The LNRS was developed by the WMCA in partnership with local councils and environmental organisations, community groups, businesses, schools and colleges, universities, landowners, farmers and developers, so everyone can get involved in helping nature survive and thrive.