Biodiversity and green spaces are of high importance to all trusts within the North East and North Cumbria (NENC) region, and progress in this area is varied across trusts. The biodiversity group are therefore able to share best practice, advice, contacts, and knowledge to support progression and foster opportunities for all trusts to expand on their current work.

The group work collaboratively; identifying opportunities to take work forward as a region and have recently worked together to develop a regional communications approach to No Mow May, ensuring consistent messaging to staff, patients and visitors. This has been important in engaging our communities with this work and the many benefits of taking action in several small areas can have to support wildlife populations and habitats overall.

Improving quality and quantity of biodiversity and green spaces broadly within the region and on our vast NHS estate and land provides many benefits both environmentally and to health and wellbeing, and so we have a duty to ensure we do this. This ranges from environmental benefits such as increasing essential ecosystem services such as those from pollinators, improving air quality, reducing negative impacts from heatwaves and urban heat islands from cooling abilities of trees and vegetation, reducing flood risk and impacts and carbon sequestration. This in turn can reduce the impacts to health from the climate crisis, and furthermore provides health benefits, providing opportunities for communities to spend time in green spaces being active, supports stress reduction and mental wellbeing improvements - aiding generally in illness prevention and recovery.