A whole host of Plymouth's best-loved green spaces are set to benefit from nearly £1 million of funding and help the city tackle the climate emergency.
The money will help continue the work of the Plymouth Natural Grid across six council city sites and two National Trust sites, supporting Natural England to shape national policy.
Plymouth Natural Grid, a partnership project between Plymouth City Council National Trust and Real Ideas, has been working on habitat enhancement and restoration across the city and was due to complete in March 2023.
Over the past year, rangers have helped deliver skills, training and learning opportunities for young people, with Kickstart apprenticeships and short-term accredited learning programmes.
Now, the fund of £966,000 will help with extend the project further, with Ham Woods, Seaton Valley, Efford Marsh, Radford Woods, Newnham Meadow and Saltram all set for attention.
The project team will focus on conservation and habitat improvements based on rewilding and nature restoration across the sites and will be pioneering the science of understanding how we can achieve carbon savings.
To support this, the Natural England team will be conducting scientific experiments to understand the levels of carbon that these improvements lock up in the soil.
In addition, four new apprentices will have the opportunity to learn key skills on urban green spaces across the city.
There will also be a programme of community engagement to ensure that neighbours of the sites stay connected to their local nature reserve.
Councillor Bill Wakeham, Cabinet Member for the Environment and Street Scene, said: “I’m very pleased to see this important project extended.
“Community engagement with local nature reserves is absolutely essential for their long-term success and I look forward to seeing scores of families discovering and emotionally investing in the wonderful natural world that is on their doorstep.”
Councillor James Stoneman, Cabinet member for Climate Change, added: “From a climate point of view, I’m very pleased to see the Council working with Natural England on a national project to tackle the climate emergency. It is fabulous to get both the local benefits and contribute to the global challenge”
More information on the work of the Plymouth Natural Grid can be found at www.plymouth.gov.uk/plymouth-natural-grid-project
More information on the Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Change programme can be found here www.gov.uk/government/news/pioneering-nature-projects-launched-to-test-…