Local Nature Partnership - Birmingham and Black Country

•             Covers an area of around 60,000ha

•             Population of 2.1 million people

•             2 Special Areas of Conservation (of European importance) National Nature Reserves

•             19 Special Sites of Scientific Interest

•             43 Local Nature Reserves

•             Many miles of river and canal

•             An array of local wildlife sites and green open spaces

•             Geological features and heritage representing 430 million years of geological time.

Our Purpose is to be internationally recognised with every person living and working in Birmingham and the Black Country having equitable access to green and blue infrastructure, including local green space.

Our Ambitious Target is for every person living and working in Birmingham and the Black Country to have access to green space, including a diverse range of ideally natural green space, within 5 minutes (300m) of their home and workplace.

To achieve this ambition target , our aims are focused around these work areas: PLACE, BUSINESS, PEOPLE, POLICY and DECISION MAKING

PLACE

THE LNP will be a driver for positive change by making visible and championing the unique qualities and functions of the Birmingham and Black Country natural environment in terms of its ecological, cultural, aesthetic, economic and health values inherent in the delivery of ecosystem services, working to the Government’s national environmental objectives, international requirements and local objectives.

The LNP is unique in having the same boundary as the Birmingham & Black Country Nature Improvement Area (NIA). It aims to provide a single voice for the natural environment at a strategic level, supporting sustainable, long term, landscape-scale environmental gains and improvements to local biodiversity and geodiversity for the benefit of nature and people, as provided by the NIA programmes. 

The LNP will seek to support and co-ordinate national and local campaigns and movement with Birmingham and the Black Country. Campaigns like the Year of Green Action 2019, a national campaign to engage people with environmental issues and participate in improving our natural spaces.   Find out more about the Year of Green Action and how you can take part.

BUSINESS

The LNP will be a driver for economic growth and championing the role of the natural environment as an employer and wealth creator, to support the ongoing development of a quality business environment, leading to a high quality, healthier workforce and excellent accessibility including active travel for investors, visitors and employees.

Two Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) operate in Birmingham and the Black Country: the Black Country LEP and the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP. The LNP seeks to integrate the needs of regeneration, and the natural environment and help facilitate greater synergy by developing dialogue and collaborative working relationships. 

Greener Birmingham coalition operate in the city of Birmingham and are a coalition of more than 30 organisation and individuals, which work together to protect and enhance the city’s green spaces to deliver social, economic and environmental benefits. The LNP seeks to work in conjunction with Greener Birmingham to meet these objectives. 

The LNP will work closely with HS2 Birmingham and Commonwealth games to work towards putting nature at the heart of the large infrastructure project development and achieving an overall net gain in biodiversity. With the hope to achieve this we aim to enhance the environment, quality of life, health and well-being of people by addressing natural and human needs.

PEOPLE

The LNP will work closely with Local Authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships and Health and Wellbeing Boards to support the delivery of the Birmingham & Black Country Nature Improvement Area (B&BC NIA) aspirations, contributing locally to the Government’s national environmental objectives.

POLICY/DECISIONMAKING

The LNP will working with stakeholders to establish a partnership of partnerships at a strategic level, the LNP will influence policy, decision making and actions to ensure, integrated, long-term sustainable and resilient benefits, adaption to climate change, ecosystem services and environmental gains for nature, people and the economy.

The LNP views itself as a “Partnership of Partnerships”. Overall, the aim of the LNP is to provide the overarching framework for achieving consensus and undertaking a highly developed degree of partnership working amongst its constituent partnerships, stakeholders and organisations to achieve its priorities. Health and Wellbeing and healthy communities are of particular importance.

• Championing the Birmingham & Black Country Nature Improvement Area and the work of the 60 partners in delivering significant improvements to the natural environment of the area in the first 3 years of operation
• Securing Black Country LEP representation on the LNP Board, and working with the Black Country LEP on the application of the LEED Toolkit to inform the Strategic Economic Plan and Environment Infrastructure Implementation Plan
• Confirming Health & Well-being representation on the LNP Board for Birmingham, and for the Black Country collectively, and preparing a Health and Well-being Engagement Report reflecting progress and opportunities in relation to health & well-being and the natural environment. This report can be found in the downloads below
• Having representation on the Black Country Environment Forum, Greener Birmingham Coalition and on the Birmingham Green Commission
• Making local and national consultation responses (several under the Duty to Co-operate, Section 110 of the Localism Act 2011), including:
  •  responses to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee Local Nature Partnerships Inquiry;
  •  HS2 Curzon Street Station design;
  •  the EU No Net Loss of Biodiversity consultation;
  • Westside link Proposal, West Midlands Combined Authority Industrial Strategy;
  • Walsall Revised Statement of Community Involvement; and 
  • EU Fitness Check of nature legislation (Birds and Habitats Directives).

 Further details can be found on Ecosystems Knowledge Network: EKN Case Study.