Mayor calls on businesses to back 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.

West Midlands Combined Authority 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.”

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.”

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.