Last updated: June 2024
City of Trees is an innovative movement set to re-invigorate Greater Manchester’s landscape by transforming underused woodland and planting a tree for every person who lives there (ref 1). Manchester City of Trees had undertaken work to improve water quality of a tributary of Worsley Brook through channel naturalisation and create wet woodland in the Cleavleys Nursery. The discharge from the tributary caused water quality failures in Worsley Brook under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) (Ref 3). This project allowed the stream to take a more natural course through the woodland and the waterlogged woods provide habitats to species and remedy these water quality issues (Ref 3).
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- In-land wetlands, peatlands, swamps, and moors
- Parks and urban forests
- Other
Key challenges
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Green space creation and/or management
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Flood protection
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
- Improvements to water quality
- Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
- Preservation of natural heritage
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
Focus
Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas, Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Protection of natural ecosystems
Project objectives
1. This project allowed the stream to take a more natural course through the woodland and will help breakdown particulates and other pollutants that were being carried into Worsley Brook (ref 3)
2. Connect people to the trees and woods around them (ref 1)
3. Address important elements resulting in the failure of the water body to achieve “Good” status, under the River Basin Management Plan (ref 4)
4. Creation of a Wet Woodland (priority BAP habitat) (ref 3)
5. Demonstration of benefits of green infrastructure for meeting Water Framework Directive objectives (ref 4)
Implementation activities
1. City of Trees undertook a package of channel renaturalisation, planting of wet woodland species, public engagement, and improved pedestrian access (ref 1)
2. During the spring and early summer of 2016, a number of students, corporate and community volunteer groups worked with the City of Trees to tackle invasive plants, plant wet-loving shrubs and wetland wildflowers, to help revegetate the bare soil, and provide new habitats (ref. 3)
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity conservation:
- Protect and enhance urban habitats
- Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
- Create new habitats
- Reduce negative impacts and avoid the alteration/damage of ecosystem
- Protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect species
- Undertake specific measures to protect valued species
- Means for conservation governance
- Manage biological resources for conservation and sustainable use
- Public engagement
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
- Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
- Restore valued species
- Clear and control invasive alien species
- Public engagement
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Non-government organisation/Civil Society
- Researchers/University
- Citizens or community groups
- Young people and children
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- National government
- Local government/municipality
- Non-government organisation/civil society
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The project was a collaboration between City of Trees, the UK's Environment Agency, Salford City Council, and AECOM (AECOM- architecture, engineering, construction, operations, and management, is the world’s premier infrastructure consulting firm). It was delivered with the support of Natural Course, a European Union LIFE-IP programme (ref 4). European Union LIFE-IP programme (EU Life Integrated Project Funding. Project number LIFE14 IPE/UK/027): Natural Course - Natural Course brings together catchment partnerships across the North West along with the Environment Agency, Natural England, United Utilities, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Rivers Trust. (Ref4)
City of Trees is a movement, set to re-invigorate Greater Manchester’s landscape by restoring underused woodland and planting a tree for every man, woman and child that lives in the City Region, within a generation (ref. 1)
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Yes
(It was delivered with the support of Natural Course, a European Union LIFE-IP programme in repsonse to the WFD (Water Framework Directive) (ref 4))
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
- Public national budget
- EU funds
- Other
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of labour
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Enhanced carbon sequestration
- Environmental quality
- Improved soil quality
- Water management and blue areas
- Improved water quality
- Increased protection against flooding
- Improved stormwater management
- Enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Increase in protected green space areas
- Increased conversion of degraded land or soil
- Reduced biodiversity loss
- Increased number of species present
- Improved prevention or control of invasive alien species
- Restoration of derelict areas
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Protection of natural heritage
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
Type of reported impacts
Achieved impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
References
1. City of Trees. (n.d.) About City of Trees. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8th July 2020)
2. Catchment Based Approach. (n.d.) Wet Woodland Creation - Case Study. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8th July 2020)
3. Cleavelys Wet Woodland. (n.d.) City of Trees. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8th July 2020)
4. LIFE-IP RBMP-NWRBD UK. (n.d.) Project Description. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8th July 2020)
5. City of Trees. (n.d.) Case study: Cleavleys Wet Woodland. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8th July 2020)
2. Catchment Based Approach. (n.d.) Wet Woodland Creation - Case Study. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8th July 2020)
3. Cleavelys Wet Woodland. (n.d.) City of Trees. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8th July 2020)
4. LIFE-IP RBMP-NWRBD UK. (n.d.) Project Description. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8th July 2020)
5. City of Trees. (n.d.) Case study: Cleavleys Wet Woodland. Available at: Source link (Accessed 8th July 2020)
