The new £5 million Nature Fund will help to accelerate delivery of the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS), which sets local priorities for nature and maps where action will have the biggest impact. The fund will focus on delivering projects that reverse biodiversity decline, connect habitats, and connect people with nature.

The Mayor of the West of England and council leaders are set to approve the funding at their next meeting on 5 June. Projects will then be developed with the West of England Nature Partnership and approved for investment in Autumn 2026. Over the next three years, this funding will complement and strengthen investment already flowing into nature recovery across the region.

Since the launch of the LNRS, the first trees have been planted here as part of the Western Forest: the country's first new national forest in decades. Next month in the West of England, the Natural History Consortium will host the UK's largest free celebration of the natural world, the Festival of Nature - which is expected to attract more than 30,000 visitors.

News of the Nature Fund comes ahead of the publication next month of the West of England's State of Nature report. This landmark publication will include initial analysis from the Wildlife Index, the first regional exercise setting out to measure species across the West.

Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said:

"From the Cotswolds to the Mendips, from the birds of the Severn Estuary to the unique plants of the Avon Gorge, our natural world is part of who are here in the West Country. Our greenspaces and waterways must be restored not just for the next generation to enjoy but for our future health, resilience and prosperity - when nature thrives, so do our communities and our economy.

"Our new £5 million Nature Fund is set to make major investments in landscape-scale environmental recovery to achieve those goals. Working together, we want to make a real difference and hope to soon see the programme's success and then share it with the world."

Councillor Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council; Councillor Tony Dyer, Leader of Bristol City Council and Deputy Mayor of the West of England; Councillor Mike Bell, Leader of North Somerset Council; Councillor Maggie Tyrrell, Leader of South Gloucestershire Council, and Councillor Ian Boulton, Co-Leader of South Gloucestershire Council, said:

"The new £5 million nature fund would be a significant step towards realising the goals of our Local Nature Recovery Strategy, ensuring nature recovery goes hand-in-hand with the region’s growth.

"Working together with our regional partners, we are determined to ensure that nature is restored, reconnected and recovering throughout our communities, supporting both people and wildlife for generations to come.”

Sumita Hutchison, Chair of the West of England Nature Partnership, said:

"Nature is one of the West of England’s greatest assets. It shapes the character of our places, supports our health and wellbeing, strengthens our resilience to climate change, and underpins a thriving economy. This funding is a major opportunity to accelerate nature recovery at a scale that will benefit communities and wildlife across the region.

"By working together across sectors and boundaries, the West of England Nature Partnership is proud to have built the trust, evidence base and partnerships needed to secure this investment — and to ensure it delivers real, lasting impact for nature and people alike.”

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