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Landscape shot of the countryside around Bath

Our rich and diverse environment is integral to our region’s health and economic prosperity.

Understanding and valuing the benefits our environment provides to people, place and nature, is crucial to how we manage natural assets and the services they provide, such as food, fuel, water regulation, pollination, recreation.

Protecting and enhancing the environment

In recognition of the importance of the West of England natural environment, a suite of themed interrelated strategies and plans have been produced providing evidence of the region's natural assets with actions to protect and enhance those assets

Field of yellow flowers Climate and Ecological Strategy and Action Plan
Joint Green Infrastructure Strategy
Nature recovery network

What we do

Image credit: Michal Mrozek
Community Pollinator Fund

Supporting community-led ecology projects that enhance biodiversity and pollinator habitats.

Image credit: Krzysztof Niewolny
Bee Bold Awards

Celebrating organisations taking action to support pollinators and tackle the ecological crisis.

National Composites Centre building
Green innovation

We're leading innovative R&D programmes to find new, sustainable ways of doing things.

Green skills

Green skills encompass the expertise that we need to develop and support a sustainable society.

Sustainable transport

We're investing in solutions to reduce our emissions and impact on the natural environment.

Planning and housing

Our strategies will integrate green infrastructure to ensure communities are connected to nature.

What are our future plans?

The Combined Authority is pledging major investments and innovation in public transport, walking and cycling, and renewable energy generation. These investments will support a more sustainable region, protecting and enhancing our natural environment. We are also supporting businesses to improve sustainability, and investing in innovation that will reduce emissions, safeguard our environment and create the skills and jobs needed for a sustainable future. Through this work we aim to:

  1. Develop a revised Strategy and Biodiversity Action plan in line with the principles agreed for our revised ambition to address the climate emergency
  2. Launch a Green Recovery Fund to focus on reducing emissions, investing in the natural environment, increasing green skills and innovative solutions to support the transition to net zero carbon
  3. Achieve green growth through our Local Industrial Strategy
  4. Support regional businesses in their transition to low-carbon operations whilst enhancing productivity and profitability
  5. Deliver our plans with a unified purpose of protecting and enhancing the environment for future generations, addressing the climate emergencies.