FOREWORD

I am pleased to support the Birmingham and Black Country Biodiversity Action Plan in its aim to protect and enhance the greater variety of wildlife found in the urban heartland of the West Midlands Region.

Despite a long history of industrial development and a high degree of urbanisation, both Birmingham and the Black Country areas support a wide range of habitats and species. This gives the opportunity for many people to experience the natural environment and contributes to their quality of life. Biodiversity is found all around us, in areas of traditional countryside encapsulated within the urban areas, on sites reclaimed from past industrial and extractive uses, in parks and other open public spaces, along canals and water courses and not least in thousands of private gardens.

Advantage West Midlands recognises that a pleasant and natural environment plays a crucial part in stimulating economic development and regeneration. In this respect, the West Midlands Economic Strategy - Creating Advantage identifies the need to promote economic and social activities that will also help to afford appropriate protection to the environment and natural resources.

It can also be noted that the Sustainability Strategy for the West Midlands, Quality of Life: The Future Starts Here, stresses the importance of protecting habitats, species and landscapes, not just for their own sake, but for people to enjoy. Ensuring people have access to pockets of wildlife on their doorsteps is especially important in dense urban areas such as Birmingham and the Black Country and one of the target set by Quality of Life is to have Biodiversity Action Plans in place and operating by 2010. Birmingham and the Black Country have taken a major step in this direction and I commend the work of the Biodiversity Steering Group as they now take this Action Plan forward.

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Alex Stephenson
Chairman for Advantage West Midlands

July 2000