Green Space Mapping of Wyre Forest District Council

Client: Wyre Forest District Council

Wyre Forest is a local government district in Worcestershire, with a population of over 100,000. The district consists of large areas of rural countryside, picturesque villages, hamlets with rolling countryside, and the three main towns of Bewdley, Kidderminster, and Stourport-on-Severn. It also encompasses the Wyre Forest, one of England’s largest, most ecologically significant oak woodlands, 15 nature reserves, conservation areas and sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) and 600 acres of public green space.

CFP was commissioned by Wyre Forest District Council (WFDC) to develop a comprehensive mapping dataset of council-owned green spaces to establish estimates of overall carbon storage and annual capture, as well as the extent of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) units that may be generated through changes in land management.

Through our commission we:

Worked closely with the client team to refine a full GIS mapping dataset of their terrier assets, cross-referenced with OS MasterMap, OS Open Green Space Mapping and Aerial Photography
Reviewed national research around carbon storage, carbon fluxes and BNG to help establish a robust methodology
Collaborated with the client to develop a model that moved from using county-wide ‘remote sensing’ habitat data to a tailored and ‘ground-truthed’ model which could establish BNG potential and carbon capture more accurately
Tested our methodology through a pilot site study and presented our findings to the client team
Conducted district-wide analysis of WFDC carbon storage, carbon fluxes and BNG
Undertook a demand assessment to better understand the likely demand for carbon capture and BNG among developers

The dataset will be an important asset to help WFDC identify future opportunities for greater carbon capture and BNG, and inform a potential business strategy for WFDC around their environmental services.

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