Bradford Council has confirmed its aims to boost its biodiversity and conservation efforts.

In its ‘Enhanced Biodiversity Duty Report’, the local authority celebrates its biodiversity wins that have been achieved in the last six years, as well as setting out its goals for 2026-2030.

Among the council’s future targets are:

• Boosting tree canopy cover to make advancements towards the national target (16.5%)
• Facilitating the delivery of Biodiversity Net Gain by establishing a council-owned habitat bank
• Ensuring biodiversity priorities are included in the updated Local Plan, Green and Blue Infrastructure Strategy, and Climate Action Plan
• Improving access to community green spaces through the Nature Towns and Cities project and Nature and Wellbeing project
• Seeking solutions for climate resilience that are rooted in nature
• Supporting residents’ access to nature by announcing more Local Nature Reserves.

The report also credits the council’s partner organisations and ‘Friends of’ groups that have assisted in delivering nature and biodiversity progress since 2020, with the following successes having been given national acclaim:

• The planting of more than 60,000 trees as part of the ‘A Tree for Every Child’ initiative
• The delivery of the first National Nature Reserve (the Bradford Pennine Gateway NNR)
• Reviving Bradford city centre with the help of green infrastructure projects.

In a statement last week, David Shepherd, Strategic Director for Growth at Bradford Council, said: ‘We have come a long way over the last five years in making our district greener, restoring and creating habitats and steps towards mitigating climate change.

‘However, we need to continue working to expand our efforts and giving everyone, wherever in the district they live, access to green spaces and wildlife.’