Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to increase urban wildlife habitat.

Nature Towns and Cities, a new initiative, supported by Defra, is committed to bringing the benefits of nature and greenspace to everyone in the UK. It has recently awarded £15.4 million to 19 partnerships, covering 40 towns/cities, enabling local authorities, working with their communities to transform their urban environment for people and nature. Birmingham has successfully become the UK’s first official Nature City, with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole collectively becoming the first Nature Towns.

Natural England’s Green Infrasturcture (GI) Standards include an urban nature recovery standard to expand and connect habitats and species in urban/urban fringe areas and reverse the decline in biodiversity. The GI Mapping Database provides a layered view of England’s green/blue spaces. Designed to support planning, policy, and nature recovery efforts by visualizing how natural assets are distributed and accessed.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) are a flagship measure in the Environment Act. A good example which is centred around urban nature recovery is NATURE FOR ALL. A Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Greater Manchester.