Solihull Council wins national conservation award for three-year environmental programme

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A three-year environmental programme developed and delivered by Solihull Council - which involved 24 separate projects across Solihull borough - has won a prestigious national conservation award.

Solihull’s Habitat and Nature Improvements Project, part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, picked up the Best Practice – Large-Scale Nature Conservation Award from the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) in London.

Solihull’s Habitat and Nature Improvements Project was a three-year programme of woodland, grassland, wetland and water quality improvements across 24 individual habitat projects in publicly accessible green space within the urban areas of Solihull from 2017 – 2020.

The project was conceived, developed and delivered by Solihull Council’s Conservation of the Historic Environment, Landscape Architecture, Urban Design and Ecology Team (CLAUDE). It enhanced over 100 hectares of green space working with the Environment Agency and Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and the award recognised the importance of this partnership.

Solihull Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Planning and Housing, Cllr Andy Mackiewicz, said: “I am proud that our team has been recognised with this prestigious award for the huge amount of conservation work that they carried out through this forward thinking environmental project.  

“This was a lengthy programme which has significantly improved and enhanced the borough’s natural environment benefitting wildlife, helping to boost nature recovery and combatting the effects of climate change. It has also made Solihull an even more beautiful place to live in and visit.

“I would like to thank everyone in the team for their commitment to stainability, in particular Jenni and Roy – and our friends in the Environment Agency and Warwickshire Wildlife Trust – who worked so hard to develop and deliver this project.”

The CIEEM awards celebrate the outstanding work of ecologists and environmental managers across the UK and Ireland. The awards are widely regarded as a way for ecologists and environmental managers to inspire the next generation and recognise each other’s skills.