A new strategy sets out a plan to reverse decades of wildlife decline and improve access to green spaces launches in Manchester this morning
The main targets include increasing land protected for nature in Greater Manchester from 11% to 15%, restoring or creating 1,800 hectares of wildlife-rich land, and boosting tree canopy cover across the city region
The scheme is a direct response to Greater Manchester’s biodiversity emergency which was declared in 2022 after research revealed serious declines in local wildlife and habitats over the past 50 years.
It also sets out how a new “Nature Network” will join up habitats across Greater Manchester, creating bigger and more connected spaces for wildlife to thrive.
Across Greater Manchester, partners are taking similar steps to deliver on the new strategy. Manchester City Council’s Cyan Lines project will soon connect communities to nature through a 100-mile network of green and blue routes, while City of Trees has launched an urban forest plan to increase tree cover across the city region.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Nature matters to all of us – for our health, our wellbeing, and the future of our communities. But we’ve seen decades of decline that can’t go on.
“Today’s launch marks our commitment to turn the tide, restore wildlife across Greater Manchester, and make sure everyone has a nature-rich green space near where they live. It also supports our wider vision for the next decade: to make Greater Manchester a greener and healthier city region for all our residents.”
Minister for Nature, Mary Creagh, said: “I pay tribute to the mayor of Manchester and all the local partners for their leadership on developing this strategy. It is a brilliant launch pad ahead of the international nature and science summit which Manchester will be hosting next February.”
Councillor Tom Ross, Greater Manchester Lead for Green-City Region, said: “The Local Nature Recovery Strategy is about making nature part of everyday life in Greater Manchester – not just in our parks and open spaces, but in our town centres, our streets and the places where people live and work.
“We know that not everyone has access to nature. This plan is about changing that so everyone, wherever they live, can benefit from cleaner air and green spaces that support health and wellbeing. Working with our councils, communities and partners, we are determined to restore habitats, expand our green networks, and put nature at the heart of the way our city region grows in the future.”
