Multi-million pound boost for nature recovery

The government has announced that 90 projects are being awarded grants to accelerate action to support 2,500 jobs, plant almost a million trees and boost nature recovery across the country.

As part of the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, the projects, which will receive a share of £40 million, range from new ‘insect pathways’ in our countryside and towns, to tree planting projects in deprived urban areas – contributing towards the government’s commitment to treble tree planting rates across England by the end of this Parliament.

Some of the successful projects include: Trees for Cities, awarded £1,229,600, to increase tree cover in deprived urban areas. 55,000 trees will be planted across 83 coastal locations in seven coastal towns; and Bringing the Buzz Back to the City – To protect our precious pollinators, Urban Green Newcastle and Northumberland Wildlife Trust are being awarded £697,800 to create a network of 45 nectar-rich public sites, aiming to plant 2,500 trees, 25,000 bulbs and creating 18 hectares of grassland.

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said: “The diverse and ambitious projects being awarded funding today will help environmental organisations employ more people to work on tree-planting, nature restoration and crucially, help more of the public to access and enjoy the outdoors.

“Through our £80 million Fund, we are on track to support over 2,500 jobs, plant almost a million trees and increase nature recovery at a huge scale across the country, which will help us deliver against our 25 Year Environment Plan.”

The fund is delivered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England, the Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission.