Birmingham has been declared the UK’s first official Nature City, as part of a UK-wide programme working to bring access to nature to urban communities.
The award recognises Birmingham City Council’s commitment alongside its partners to transform life for communities through providing more and better nature and green space.
Birmingham is joined by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole who were collectively named the UK’s first official Nature Towns as part of a new mission announced today.
Nature Towns and Cities is a coalition of organisations united by the ambition to enable millions more people to experience nature in their daily lives. The first of its kind, this new programme announced by Natural England, National Trust and The National Lottery Heritage Fund aims to help at least 100 places across the UK to become greener, healthier, happier places for people to live and work.
In Birmingham, the City Council has joined forces with local communities, groups, environmental organisations, and national partners to become the UK’s first accredited Nature City. This milestone recognises the city’s ambitious and inclusive approach to embedding nature into everyday life, making green spaces more accessible, equitable, and central to urban planning.
At the heart of the accolade is Birmingham’s City of Nature Plan, a long-term strategy to reconnect people with nature, improve biodiversity, and tackle climate and health inequalities. The vision is to create a city where everyone – regardless of background or postcode – can enjoy the benefits of nature, whether through large-scale restoration projects or small, local green spaces.
Cllr Majid Mahmood, cabinet member for environment and transport at Birmingham City Council, said:
“Through our 25-year City of Nature Plan, we’ve laid out a robust framework for transforming how nature is valued and integrated across Birmingham.
“We’re really leading the way in creating and recovering urban nature and are one of the greenest cities in Europe.
“We work with community groups such as Birmingham Tree People to plant trees in inner city areas such as Alum Rock, and in partnership with Open Door Community Foundation and Friends of Seven Streets Park – Balsall Heath to develop pocket parks in their neighbourhoods. These are small but impactful green spaces that bring nature to people’s doorsteps while supporting wellbeing, biodiversity, food growing and community pride.
“One of our focus areas is the River Cole corridor in the heart of East Birmingham, where we aim to improve access to nature for thousands of residents, restoring habitats, enhancing traffic free routes, and creating new spaces for people to connect with the outdoors.”
As well as the Nature City and Nature Town titles awarded today, 40 towns and cities across the UK, in 19 urban partnerships, have received funding to help them take steps towards becoming Nature Towns and Nature Cities. In the West Midlands, Walsall and Coventry are amongst those places, receiving just under £1m each in funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
In Walsall, funding will go towards developing a “Nature and Health Strategy 2040”, combining groundbreaking research with community engagement. Research and mapping will find ways to address a gap in green spaces between the east and west of Walsall, identifying areas for further investment. And communities will be encouraged to be a part of the town’s green future through Adopt a Space and community grants programmes.
And over 3,000 young people in Coventry will learn new green skills through citizen science projects, new education resources and school allotments. Residents will be able to discover nearby nature through a new resources on the council’s website, which will also be used to shape nature’s growth across the city in a new Green Infrastructure Strategy.
Oliver Harmar, Chief Officer, Strategy at Natural England said “Nature helps us to improve our mental and physical wellbeing, mitigate the impacts of climate change and drive green growth through the creation of spaces for people to connect with nature, making better places for people to live, work and invest.
“We’re delighted to be able to award Birmingham their status as the first UK Nature City today, recognising the city council’s commitment with their partners to transform life in the city through providing more and better nature and green space for communities.”
Katy Hawkins, community lead at Birmingham Tree people, said: “It is a pleasure to get work with dedicated community organisations, groups and local folk across Birmingham, who know and care for their places, to establish new trees.
“It’s been brilliant to be able to work alongside Birmingham City Council to deliver this work, and we look forward to continuing our work together in order to improve canopy cover across the city and address some of our urgent environmental and human health concerns.”
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive, The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “I am delighted to announce an investment of £15 million which will help 40 towns and cities across the UK better plan their urban nature recovery, connecting people and communities to their natural environment in the places they live. We have invested over £1bn in regenerating over 900 urban parks and green spaces over the last 30 years, helping nature thrive in towns everywhere – and this exciting initiative, working with partners right across the UK, will continue to build on this investment and give millions of people better access to nature close to home.”
Hilary McGrady, Director General at the National Trust said: “The National Trust believes that everyone, everywhere should have easy and local access to nature and green spaces. So when 85% of the UK population lives in built up urban areas, it is our duty to reach them, uphold our values and make sure nature is for all.
“Together with close partners, we are launching Nature Towns and Cities, an exciting new programme that will accelerate access to nature for one in six people living in over 100 towns and cities across the UK, from Belfast in Northern Ireland to Portsmouth in England.
“The programme aligns closely to our 10 year aim to end unequal access. By prioritising areas in the greatest need, we aim to help nature, beauty and history spring to life in some of the most nature-deprived places in the country.
“This necessary and targeted support combined with community outreach and excellent resources, will enrich places with green space and contribute to the healthy mind, body and future that people need.”
More information can be found on the Nature Towns and Cities website.
