Greater Manchester launches England’s first Local Nature Recovery Strategy in the North

• The strategy sets out a plan to reverse decades of wildlife decline and improve access to green spaces, aligning with our ambitions over the next decade to put greener, healthier neighbourhoods at the heart of our communities 

• 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 strategy ensures that everyone will have a safe, healthy, low carbon, nature-rich environment where they can live well and thrive, and which is resilient to climate change 

Today marks the launch of England’s first Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) in the North. The landmark plan feeds into our vision for the next decade to tackle the biodiversity emergency, reverse decades of wildlife decline, and ensure that everyone across the city region has better access to nature and green spaces. 

By increasing the quality and quantity of local community green space and expanding the best spaces for nature, everyone will have a safe, healthy, low carbon, nature-rich environment where they can live well and thrive. 

The LNRS 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. 

Its main aim is to set out how the city region will protect and restore nature, improve access to green spaces, and make Greater Manchester more resilient to climate challenges like flooding and overheating. 

The strategy sets clear, measurable goals for the next decade including: 

• Increasing the amount of land designated for nature in Greater Manchester from 11% to 15% 

• Bringing half of Greater Manchester’s sites designated for nature into active management 

• Restoring or creating 1,800 hectares of wildlife-rich land 

• Increasing tree canopy cover across the city-region from 15% to 17%. 

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. 

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 Greater 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.” 

The LNRS builds upon action that is already being taken across Greater Manchester to recover nature and bring to life the environmental vision we have for the city region over the next decade. 

Through the Mayor’s Green Spaces Fund, over 100 sites have been improved for biodiversity in the past three years, with more community projects set to benefit soon. 

The continued transformation of Castlefield Viaduct, following funding from the GMCA and Manchester City Council, will see the viaduct develop into a nature-rich through route combining heritage with new green space. The project highlights how our city region is re-imagining old spaces to support healthier, more sustainable communities. 

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.  

Greater Manchester’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy is the first in the North to be published as part of a wider network of similar strategies being developed across England. 

It places the city region at the forefront of national efforts to recover nature, while making our towns and cities greener, healthier and more resilient for future generations. 

Notes to Editors: 

• Read the Greater Manchester Local Nature Recovery Strategy here: NATURE FOR ALL. A Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Greater Manchester. 

• The LNRS has been developed over the past two years with input from all ten local authorities, environmental organisations, and local residents. More than 400 people responded to a public consultation, showing strong support for the plans. 

• The result is a city region wide strategy that puts nature at the heart of how Greater Manchester grows and develops. 

Article Published: 04/09/2025 16:25 PM