Discovering Manchester's wild side

Discovering Manchester's wild side

(c) Tom Marshall

Manchester is going wild - and setting the standard for cities all over the United Kingdom with our new My Wild City project.

With its rivers, canals, parks and trees, Manchester is a magnet to all sorts of creatures which go unnoticed by many people living and working there. Urban nature lovers will no longer have to look exclusively to the countryside for their nature kicks, when they realise there is wonderful wildlife bounding all around them.

In the past couple of years, badgers and otters have been reported in the city centre and the peregrine falcon, the worlds fastest creature, nests on roofs of tall buildings. Many kinds of plants and animals live in the wider city, side by side with thousands of people.

Now, with My Wild City, we will have opportunities to learn more about the importance of Manchester as a home and corridor for many species to move around and breed.

My Wild City is a partnership between the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside and Manchester City Council and their partners. Together they will develop and deliver an exciting new 10-year vision for biodiversity in the city.

"The project is incredibly exciting and will lead the way in terms of demonstrating practically how important cities can be for nature - and more importantly, how important connecting with nature is for all of us."
Councillor Angeliki Stogia, Executive Member for the Environment, Planning and Transport
Manchester City Council

The project will lead to a greater understanding of the cities wildlife, along with more nature reserves being designated, better land management for wildlife and greater access to nature for local people.

The public will be invited to get involved in this bold new venture, in events and on social media. Activities will be in response to people's thoughts on urban nature in Manchester.

Some of the results will be a new, stronger strategy for biodiversity in Manchester and a Manchester festival of nature in Heaton Park, this year.

Fox (c) Jamie Hall

(c) Jamie Hall

My Wild City will inspire and engage people - children, students and adults to get involved in practical actions in their gardens, parks and wildlife corridors to improve the wildlife value of the entire city.

Our Every Child Wild campaign has highlighted that children are becoming increasingly separated from nature. This is most obvious in cities like Manchester.

Breaking the cycle of disconnect from nature is a big challenge and something which will not be achieved without collaborative work over a long period of time. Our project aims to address this challenge in Manchester, so that children have the joy of discovering and having magical experience with nature in their garden, local park and school grounds.
Chief Executive Anne Selby
Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside

One of the strengths of Manchester is the geography of key wildlife corridors throughout the city, which provide a strong opportunity for communities to be engaged and actively involved in natural sites - the rivers and canals which converge in the city centre, or network of parks and green spaces which help connect the city.

Anne added: "We are already getting kingfishers through the city, barn owls in our major woods and many more sightings. We want to inspire and engage people with these existing nature moments and support practical action to encourage more wildlife to thrive in our city."

A similar scheme has already been a success in Bristol. My Wild City is being funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.

To find out more about My Wild City visit out web page.  

My Wild City

My Wild City partner logos