Oxford City Council is committed to conserving biodiversity, as mandated by the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act 2006. We play a vital role in protecting and enhancing biodiversity through various means, including managing parks and open spaces, utilising our planning powers, and engaging in community activities.
Trees and our urban forest
In September 2021, we adopted the Urban Forest Strategy - a Master Plan to 2050. This strategy provides a comprehensive framework for managing Oxford's urban forest, aiming to maximise benefits for nature and all residents and visitors in Oxford.
Grass verge management
While regularly cut verges may look neater, they aren't the best for plant and wildlife growth. Allowing verges to grow supports wildflower development and seeding, enhancing food sources for pollinators like bees and boosting wildflower populations. Discover more about how we manage these areas to support biodiversity on our Grass verge management page.
Get involved
There are many ways you can get involved in biodiversity protection and enhancement in Oxford:
- volunteer in our parks and open spaces - details are available on our Volunteering in parks and open spaces page
- join one of the many groups in Oxford working towards biodiversity enhancement - Wild Oxfordshire, Oxfordshire's local nature partnership, has a directory of these groups on their website
- explore opportunities with the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust
