The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) are looking for landowners interested in developing their land for natural projects including tree planting, nature based solutions, and habitat banks.
Nature based solutions – including trees, rain gardens and natural flood management amongst others – are important for nature, people and climate. It has been reported that 30% of our climate adaption needs can be met through nature based solutions. Such solutions also provide many additional benefits for our communities and for nature recovery too.
Research suggests that interventions can have benefits including for:
- Health, by reducing sick leave by 23% when employees have a view of nature
- Crime, by reducing both violent and property crime with increasing greenness
- Trade, by increasing footfall to restaurants by 30-50% where street trees are present.
The WMCA is offering advice and support to landowners looking to proceed with projects of this type through their environment programmes, including the Local Investment in Natural Capital (LINC) and Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) programmes; providing advice around funding, design and implementation and facilitating connections to providers within the region as we look to make the region a greener, fairer and more prosperous place to live.
This call for sites follows a successful planting season where the West Midlands Virtual Forest reached 600,000 trees across the region and the WMCA gave out 3,500 tree saplings to 38 community groups (through funding partnerships with the Woodland Trust and the World Trampoline Championships).
To get involved or find out more please complete this form or contact environment@wmca.org.uk.
