Local communities to receive £79 million to restore nature

• Environment Secretary announces £53 million will fund urban and rural tree planting in streets, parks and places close to where people live and work, cooling towns and cities and boosting biodiversity
• A further £26 million for Mayors and local authorities to help deliver nature recovery in their area and adapt to our changing climate
• Funding will cut carbon emissions, support nature recovery and help shield communities from extreme weather like flooding and heatwaves

Communities across England will be empowered to deliver their own plans to restore nature and adapt to the impacts of climate change, backed by £79 million of new government funding, the Environment Secretary announced today (Wednesday 30 September 2026).

Community Trees Fund

The Environment Secretary announced that £53 million will be invested between April 2027 and March 2030 to plant up to 500,000 new trees outside woodlands, including on streets, in parks and across rural landscapes.

Trees are one of the most effective means of protecting against extreme weather like the kind Britain experienced this summer. In cities, trees on streets can reduce air temperatures by as much as 4°C, making heatwaves more bearable. One mature tree can also intercept over 15,000 litres of rainwater a year - reducing flood and water run-off risks during storms.

Trees also support biodiversity in nature-depleted urban areas by providing habitats for birds and other species. They have even been shown to reduce noise pollution and improve residents' mental and physical wellbeing.

The funding will empower local authorities, mayors, community groups and environmental organisations to bring nature closer to where people live and create more resilient neighbourhoods.

By supporting tree planting in the places people use every day, this investment will help communities adapt to climate change while creating greener, healthier and more attractive local environments. This will also support progress towards statutory tree planting and nature targets, as well as net zero.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies

Local Nature Recovery Strategies are community-owned plans which identify local priorities for environmental improvement, putting decisions in the hands of the people who know their green spaces best.

This community-led approach means local authorities can better target and accelerate action to adapt to the specific climate risks they face, from restoring wetlands to reduce flood risk for homes and businesses, to tree planting to cool city streets during heatwaves, to increasing vegetation along rivers to improve water quality in local rivers.

Now covering almost the whole of England, these strategies are developed and published by 48 local authorities working alongside communities, farmers, businesses, planners, land managers and environmental groups.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies are already helping farmers to align their land management decisions with schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship, making it easier to deliver joined-up outcomes for nature and farm profitability. All of this improves their resilience and helps them adapt to our changing climate and weather.

Investment in Local Nature Recovery Strategies will also boost progress towards the government's international commitment to conserve and manage at least 30% of land for nature by 2030. 

Notes to editors

Community Trees Fund

• The £53 million trees fund will be funded over 3 years and will be available for organisations in England to carry out urban, peri-urban and rural tree planting projects that sit outside of the Government's larger woodland creation offers.

• The fund will be available to Strategic Authorities, local authorities as well as other organisations, including environmental NGOs, farm clusters and National Park Authorities.

• Further details will be set out in due course.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies

• The £26 million funding will be shared across 48 responsible authorities (list and map here, worth around £185,000 per authority per year. This year's funding has already been handed to the authorities that have published their strategy.

• Further information on local nature recovery strategies, including how communities, farmers and businesses can get involved, is available on GOV.UK.