State of the natural environment in the West Midlands
The natural environment matters. The State of the Natural Environment report 2008 brings together for the first time the evidence we have about the current situation in our natural environment.
The report demonstrates that the natural environment in England is much less rich than 50 years ago and remains under pressure from a significant range of threats. It identifies the impact of those threats on our landscapes and biodiversity.
Why it matters
The state of the natural environment matters to everyone in the West Midlands. It is an essential regional asset that provides the foundations for our economic and social well being.
A healthy natural environment provides essential public services, such as
- Clean air, clean water and productive soils
- Support for economic activity and sustainable energy production
- Security against the impacts of climate change
- A natural health service, contributing to people's health and wellbeing
- Places to experience and enjoy the natural world
The West Midlands report
The State of the Natural Environment in the West Midlands
brings together for the first time the regional evidence we have about the current situation in our natural environment.
Landscape
- The existing landscape character of the West Midlands is changing: 63% of our Character Areas have neglected or diverging agricultural landscape character.
- Nine per cent of the region contains precious landscapes whose distinctive character and natural beauty are such that they are protected by an Act of Parliament as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs).
- The West Midlands Meres and Mosses along with the Cumbrian Lakes and Norfolk Broads is one of England’s three ‘lake districts’. It is the second most important complex of natural lakes in England.
- The region has extensive networks of rivers, canals and lakes providing a wildlife resource of European importance, and opportunities for access and recreation: there are 821 km of canals and rivers with public navigation - the highest total for any region.
- The region has a rich geological heritage: Abberley and Malvern Hills Geopark is one of only three Geoparks in the country and the Wren's Nest declared as a National Nature Reserve in 1956 was the UK's first NNR for geology.
- Large historic parks in the countryside and urban fringe tell the story of our most influential land owners, from Saxon kings to the first industrialists. In 1918, parkland covered 4% of the region’s landscape but today just 2% of the region is parkland: a loss greater than in any other region.
Biodiversity
- Although the region has the second lowest coverage of semi-natural habitats in the country, due in part to having no coastline, it has nationally significant proportions of a number of habitats including 20% of England’s lowland meadows and 9% of the country’s remaining lowland heathland.
- The West Midlands is one of only two regions where the decline in key farmland bird species has not yet been halted. Some wetland birds such as lapwing, snipe and curlew are now restricted to a few sites across the region.
- Two per cent (28,000 ha) of the region is notified as SSSI - the lowest cover of any region, although by number (442) they account for 10% of all England’s SSSIs. As with the wider biodiversity resource they are fragmented and increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
- The West Midlands is particularly important for woodland and wood pasture which are good for butterflies, such as Pearl-bordered Fritillary in the Wyre Forest, and is the most important region for traditional orchards which support a huge range of other invertebrates.
- The urban environment also enjoys a wide range of biodiversity, with birds such as black redstart and peregrine falcon increasingly found in urban areas.
Enjoying the natural environment
- Our 16 National Nature Reserves (NNRs), particularly those in or near urban areas such as the Wyre Forest, are very important as a recreation resource. They received 1.9 million visitors in 2005/6 – 18% of all visits to NNRs nationally; with Sutton Park in Birmingham being one of the most visited NNRs in the country with over one million visitors annually.
- Compared to other regions, the West Midlands has a relatively low amount of statutory access land (18,852 ha), land designated as National Park (20,000 ha), or National Trail (69 km).
- Other types of access to the natural environment such as rights of way and canal towpaths are well represented in the region and a number of local authorities have or are about to reach the target for Local Nature Reserve provision of one hectare per 1,000 population.
- Communities in the poorest areas of the West Midlands have the highest rates of obesity and shortest life expectancy due in part to low physical activity levels: the national average for people taking part in regular activity is 21%, but is only 16% in Stoke and 15% in Sandwell.
Meeting the challenge in the West Midlands
We will work at a landscape scale to join up fragmented habitats and reverse the historic decline in biodiversity through a clearer understanding of the effects of climate change and by better targeting the £39M of our Environmental Stewardship scheme. We will work with the West Midlands Biodiversity Partnership to deliver the Landscapes for Living 50 year biodiversity vision for the region.
We will work with regional and local partners to ensure that the conservation and enhancement of the natural environment contributes fully to the social and sustainable economic development of the region. We will encourage the use of green infrastructure as exemplified by our work with Growth Points, to help future urban areas be more climate change proof and to highlight the importance of access to the natural environment for people’s health and well-being. Natural England will work with partners to ensure that National Nature Reserves continue to provide a quality experience for people in the West Midlands.
Related report
State of the Natural Environment 2008
