Greater Manchester Combined Authority is in the process of producing the first Greater Manchester Local Nature Recovery Strategy, building on the fantastic work of our pilot in 2021.
Rachel Morrison, Nature Recovery Lead at GMCA, provides an update on progress so far, including the draft high level vision and aims for the strategy.
Rooting our Local Nature Recovery Strategy in engagement
By now everyone agrees that the closely linked climate and biodiversity emergencies are having a grave impact on Greater Manchester’s natural environment – and that we all have a role to play in helping nature recover. That’s why the co-creation of the Greater Manchester Local Nature Recovery Strategy is vital to its potential to help reverse the decline in our wildlife. By co-creating a shared strategy, we’ll be able to agree how everyone from landowners and local government to businesses and community groups can play their part, helping ensure the strategy leads to meaningful action right across Greater Manchester.

We’ve already been hard at work with partners involved in nature recovery and key stakeholders across the city region to develop our strategy – starting with establishing our vision and aims.
Our emerging vision and aims for nature recovery
Over autumn 2023 a series of workshops with partners across the city-region helped us to establish a simple high-level vision for the strategy to work towards:
‘A network for nature across Greater Manchester, connecting and enhancing spaces for wildlife and people to thrive.’
The vision will be something that unifies the whole strategy, with all of the suggested interventions and actions stemming from it. So it’s really important that we get this right up front, which is why we’re only calling it a draft vision for now.
We’ve also established some draft collective aims for the strategy that we can all work towards:
- Everyone: For everyone to act together for nature recovery.
- Create: To create more wildlife-rich spaces for everyone to enjoy.
- Enhance: To enhance or restore spaces for nature.
- Connect: To expand and connect-up spaces for nature to form a network for wildlife and people.
- Access: To work towards better access to nature, and more opportunities to enjoy nature.
- Value: To ensure nature is better valued.
These aims will no doubt be refined and improved upon as we get input from more partners working across Greater Manchester, but they hopefully give us a great place to start from as we build our strategy.

How you can get involved
There will be loads of opportunities to contribute to our strategy as it continues development over the coming months. These include:
- If you are a landowner or land manager, join our engagement session on the evening of Tuesday 13th February in Barton Moss. Please email naturerecovery@greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk to RSVP.
- Look out for our public survey and tell us about your priorities for nature recovery!
- We’ll be running a public consultation on the strategy later in the year, giving everyone an opportunity to have their say.
Find out more about our plan for nature recovery
Greater Manchester is currently developing its Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which will set out a blueprint for a more liveable city-region, with fairer access to green space for all.
Find out more including ways to get involved on our nature recovery webpage.