Natural Environment

Protecting and conserving the environment so that it thrives with our presence

Why this theme?

We have learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic how important the natural environment is to the human race, including West Midlanders. From urban parks to the vast open countryside in our rural hinterlands, we are home to a diverse range of species and sensitive ecological areas and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, such as the Shropshire Hills, Cannock Chase and the Malverns. Our northern edge brings us into the Peak District National Park and we have numerous nature reserves scattered across the region. These are all examples of spaces that have become our friends, and yet biodiversity is still in rapid decline. Protecting our natural environment is not just a moral good, it is the greatest ally in our solution to mitigating and adapting to climate change, boosting public health outcomes and enhancing our tourist economy. This is why this theme is so important, as between us we must do our bit to protect and enhance these spaces and the species that call them their home.

Target: To be defined

SWM has not yet established a target for this theme as the data available have not allowed us to create a strong, evidence based target that can be monitored on a regular basis. However, this is an area that we have consulted on in detail with the Environment Agency, the Wildlife Trusts and other organisations to get as much information as possible and over time we will work to update this target as better data becomes available. As well as our consultation with these organisation, we further carried out literature review of important strategies such as the 25 Year Environment Plan, the National Adaptation Programme and the Biodiversity 2020 strategy.

What our Members are doing

TBEN, based in The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership area, work to assist growth and profitability of businesses in the area working together in an environmentally sustainable manner to ensure the long term future of the natural environment in the Shropshire and Marches area. The area is a very important conservation area due to its high concentration of bogs and field ponds, providing habitats for many protected and threatened species. The peat-based landscape is also important for carbon-storage. They have done work around Clutton Coppice, Nature Reserve, and Otters in Wem.

Stafford Brooks is a £4.1 million partnership project with Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, National Highways and our members Stafford Borough Council and The Environment Agency. Working together, this partnership will create havens for wildlife to flourish. It will improve connectivity between habitats creating a nature recovery network and help to alleviate flooding, linking with our adapting to climate change priority. It will also provide residents better access to their local rivers and green spaces across the 25 sites. One of the key objectives of the scheme is to extend, restore and create new habitats which could become home to a variety of wildlife including otter, wading birds such as lapwing and snipe and a range of amphibians.

Other members leading on the theme of Natural Environment

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