Nature and resilience
Alongside tackling carbon emissions, the government have committed to reversing the decline in nature and biodiversity.
The ‘State of Nature’ Report (2019) revealed that England is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world and 1 in 6 species are at risk of extinction. The Government has set a target to protect 30% of our land and sea for nature by 2030. In Coventry, this currently stands at around 11% and a key challenge is to identify where the extra 19% (or 1874 hectares) is going to be found. This will require a step change in current land use planning to meet this target.
We are committed to tackling the biodiversity emergency here in Coventry, it’s essential to support the foundation of our society, and will help tackle climate change and create a more attractive greener city for everyone to enjoy, alongside supporting nature’s recovery. There is a need to invest in gathering data to gain a more in-depth understanding of habitats and species in the city, to support targeted action to conserve and enhance existing habitats, alongside creating new ones.
Local Nature Recovery
Nationally a number of new legally binding initiatives have been launched: Biodiversity Net Gain, The Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) and Conservation Covenants which are intended to work together to address loss of wildlife. is a new legally binding spatial strategy to identify locations to improve nature and provide other environmental benefits, such as carbon sequestration, flood management and access to nature-rich spaces for health and well-being.
- Biodiversity Net Gain was made statutory in February 2024, though Coventry has been implementing an earlier model via the Warwickshire Pilot Scheme. Three different CCC- owned sites in different parts of the City have been identified as BNG Banks and are being submitted to the National Register so that accept payments under the scheme
- LNRS is a new legally binding spatial strategy to identify locations to improve nature and provide other environmental benefits, such as carbon sequestration, flood management and access to nature-rich spaces for health and well-being. CCC has seconded a member of staff to the WMCA to lead the project, a draft plan will be shared for consultation later this year
- Conservation Covenants are a new legal agreement securing the long-term management land for biodiversity or heritage. The Council has submitted an application to become a Responsible Body and will be able to benefit from the new mechanism once this is allowed.
The Council will be working with partners to boost local nature recovery and improve access to nature, green and blue space for its citizens. This will include creation of a Green and Blue Plan for the city. Management plans promoting biodiversity in have been produced for all the Green Flag Parks and there is an ongoing programme of supporting local communities to engage with sites and implement enhancements. In partnership with the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust we are delivering a number of successful projects including the National Lottery Heritage-funded £3.3m River Sherbourne Project which aims to revitalise the river and create an urban living landscape and a £0.5m Species Recovery Project which will help secure water voles across the city and re-establish the native white-clawed crayfish which has been lost in recent years. Warwick University and Coventry University are both closely involved in the work and the Council provides funding for innovative eDNA research which has the potential to provide vital data on biodiversity. We are also part funding PhD research at Coventry which is extending the iTree study to investigate trees and biodiversity in the city.
A tree for every citizen
Trees are an integral part of the city’s landscape and our communities, lining streets, parks and gardens. Coventry is particularly blessed with a large and extensive tree canopy which currently covers approx. 12% of the city, with an aspiration to increase this to 30% over the next decade. The Council is responsible for the management of over 80,000 individual trees in parks, highways, and other green spaces and an estimated 200,000 woodland trees.
The importance of trees is becoming increasingly recognised not least through global changes which are and will affect everyone on the planet:
- Trees are important in our efforts to combat climate change capturing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.
- They help keep the air in our city clean by absorbing pollutants.
- They help keep our streets cool and provide shade from ultraviolet light.
- They hold water on their surface helping with flood alleviation.
- They provide a valuable food and habitat resource supporting countless birds, animals, and invertebrates.
- Trees are great for people's health and well-being and for bringing people together.
- They also have an economic value and can increase property values.
The Council has committed to an ambitious plan to plant 360,000 trees, one for every member of Coventry’s population over the life of the strategy: a tree for every citizen by 2033.
Between 2021-24 the Council have planted 42’000 trees, that form woodland extensions, and over 1560 semi mature trees have been planting in parks and on common land and increasing street trees. The Council are currently working to identify locations for further tree planting in 2025, across the Streetscene of Coventry, to enhance the areas most in need of trees.
Urban forestry strategy
In 2023, Coventry launched its first Urban Forestry Strategy (2023-2033), which seeks to “protect, promote, sustain and enhance our urban forest and to recognise its contribution towards the character, appearance and economy of Coventry for the benefit of all those who live, work and visit the area.”
It has also formed a partnership with a charity called Trees for Cities, that provide corporate sponsorship funding for tree planting projects, as well as access to the governments Urban Tree Challenge Fund which, will provide over £900’000 to Coventry for semi-mature tree planting.
Coventry has benefitted from the iTree study carried out by the West Midlands Combined Authority across the region by the shared data confirming where Coventry needs to take the greatest action when planting trees. This is in the corridor from the city centre through the Foleshill area and out Longford.
This has been supplemented by a study to identify planting opportunities in the street scene, that will provide new trees and small Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems within the highway network of Coventry, delivering a place-based approach to ensure appropriate species of trees are planted in the right location.
Climate adaptation and resilience
We are already experiencing climate change, with seasonal fluctuations and more extreme weather events including flooding and heatwaves. We know from researchers in the field and modelling of weather patterns in the Midlands that the future predictions of more extreme weather incidents are highly likely, and that the citizens of Coventry are likely to experience warmer wetter winters and hotter drier summers. Extreme weather events and climate change have wide-ranging impacts on people, property, infrastructure, services and the environment, and its imperative action is taken appropriately to reduce exposure to risks and create a more resilient city.
Rising temperatures are of particularly concern in cities like Coventry, as will be exacerbated by the density of concrete buildings and road surfaces which absorb and radiate heat, creating what is referred to as an Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect where the city is considerably hotter than the surrounding countryside with its reflective vegetated surfaces. This will result in an increase of cases of heat stress, which has the most impact on infants, the elderly and those more vulnerable due to existing health conditions. Heavier rainfall is likely to cause more surface water flooding, which can impact on homes (over 10,000 homes in the city are vulnerable to flooding), businesses, transport and energy infrastructure. An issue of emerging concern is the rise in vector borne diseases such as Lyme’s disease associated with ticks.
The Council are taking a pro-active approach, having established an Adaptation and Resilience Pathway working group, chaired by the Environment Agency to better understand the risks and adaptive capacity of the city. Under the Group’s recommendation, an Adaptation and Resilience Plan is being developed for Coventry, using a team of specialist consultants that have been appointed to work alongside the Sustainability Team and the partner organisations involved in the Climate Change Board’s Adaptation & Resilience Pathway Group. This work is building upon the WMCA’s West Midlands Climate ‘Change Adaptation Plan 2021-2026' plan, developing a more localised picture of risks and opportunities.
The citywide Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Plan will set out the risks and steps the city needs to take to become more climate resilient. There are a number of different measures that can be implemented to create a more resilient city, which include natural measures such as the creation of rain gardens, wetlands and sustainable urban drainage systems. Tree planting can help reduce water run-off and create shade. Building design will need to be considered to provide cooling as well as heating.
The Government has chosen Coventry City Council to take part in a national pilot for local authorities reporting under the Adaptation Reporting Power (ARP4), to better understand the adaptive capacity of the nation, with the first report being expected by the end of 2024.