Climate change and natural environment

Our commitment to tackling climate change and protecting and enhancing biodiversity including information on how you can get involved and sign up for our Climate Change and Nature Newsletter.

Page contents 

Our vision

Westmorland and Furness Council have committed to ensure that the council is carbon net zero as soon as possible and that the area it serves is carbon net zero by 2037.

Our response to the climate and biodiversity crises

Our Climate Change Action Plan Part One and Two show the commitment and direction of travel Westmorland and Furness are taking in responding to the climate crises. These plans have the actions the council are taking to transition to net zero.

We are:

  • constructing a new 2MW solar farm in Barrow;
  • committing £1 million for local sustainable transport schemes from our Priority Investment Fund;
  • developing an electric vehicle infrastructure strategy to install more charging points across Westmorland and Furness, with £4 million funding from the Government LEVI scheme;
  • a bronze accredited Carbon Literate organisation and working towards silver accreditation;
  • building on the recommendations of the two Citizens Juries, held in Barrow-in-Furness and Kendal and working on ways to engage more with our communities;
  • publishing the Climate Change Action Plan Part Two, following engagement, which will set out our road map to net zero;
  • Planting one tree for every resident; including information about our community tree and hedgerow planting fund.
  • working with the Cumbria Local Resilience Forum to identify risks and prepare for the impacts caused by our changing climate;
  • publishing our nature strategy
  • leading on the Cumbria-wide Local Nature Recovery Strategy

Cumbria Local Nature Recovery Strategy

Cumbria is one of 48 strategy areas that are required by the Environment Act to develop a Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for their area. The LNRS sets out priorities for nature recovery. It identifies and maps where actions, known as potential measures, can have the biggest positive impact. By using evidence, data, expert opinion, and by listening to what’s important to people and communities, the LNRS makes it easier to plan and take action at a local level. Westmorland and Furness Council are the ‘Responsible Authority’ for the Cumbria LNRS.

Visit the Cumbria LNRS website to find out more and get involved

Key plans and documents

These plans and documents underpin our core council value to be ‘ecologically aware’.

They outline the direction and intention of the council to address climate change and biodiversity loss, provide leadership in the drive to become carbon net zero, and create a greener, healthier, more resilient Westmorland and Furness.

Read about what action we’re taking, and committing to take, to redress damage and protect our environment for the long-term, and how we’re working collaboratively with our residents, communities, businesses and partners to develop, deliver and support meaningful initiatives and projects.

For accessible versions and alternative formats of these documents, please email ClimateAction@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk

Nature Recovery Fund

We’ve introduced a Nature Recovery Fund of £50,000. This will partially or fully fund projects that aid in the recovery of nature in the Westmorland and Furness area.

The fund will support projects that:

  • restore, enhance, create or connect habitats to support pollinators, or one or more priority species identified by the Cumbria Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS)
  • undertake other actions to support LNRS priority species or pollinators – such as baseline surveys, monitoring or reintroductions
  • support the removal or control of key invasive on-native species, as defined in the LNRS
  • conduct research on LNRS species recovery

You can find information about priority species and key invasive non-native species in Appendix B - Cumbria LNRS Species Short List, of the Cumbria LNRS. 

How to apply

Before applying, you must understand what we will and will not fund. We’ve provided these details in our guidance on the Nature Recovery Fund application process and conditions of funding (PDF, 722KB)

Application form for the Nature Recovery Fund (DOCX, 94KB)

Applications close on 30 January 2026.

If you have any questions about the project or applying for the fund, please email us: ClimateAction.WAF@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk 

Coronation Community Orchard Fund

This £50,000 fund will support community groups, schools, charities and other organisations to establish community orchards in their local area in celebration of the King’s coronation.

The fund aims to support the planting of accessible community orchards across Westmorland and Furness.

The Coronation Community Orchard Fund will award grants up to £10,000 per group.

Applications are now closed. This page will be updated once grant funding has been allocated.

Please send any enquiries to futuretrees@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk.

Planting for Pollinators

The Planting for Pollinators project, funded by Westmorland and Furness Council, has empowered Cumbria Wildlife Trust to create and nurture flower-rich habitats aimed at restoring diversity and abundance.

The primary goal of the Planting for Pollinators project is to reverse the decline of pollinators in Cumbria. We are implementing pollinator-friendly initiatives in the Barrow, South Lakeland, and Eden areas, establishing habitats that support pollinators in community spaces.

So far, in 2023 to 2024, the project has created or restored approximately six hectares of habitat across 11 different sites in Barrow and South Lakeland. In 2024 to 25, the project is working across nine new sites in South Lakeland and Eden, and three additional sites in Kendal through funding from Kendal Town Council.

Our efforts focus on creating, improving, and connecting a network of pollinator-friendly habitats, providing essential food, shelter, and nesting places for bees, butterflies, wasps, and other insects.

Some of the sites developed and restored through this project include Queen’s Park (Windermere), Ford Park (Ulverston), Goose Green (Dalton), Lesh Lane (Barrow), and Noble’s Rest (Kendal). A special thank you goes out to all the volunteers who have generously contributed their time to the project and to Cumbria Wildlife Trust for delivering the project.

Rural Net Zero Project

Westmorland and Furness Council, alongside Cumbria Action for Sustainability, Cumbria Tourism, Fell Brewery, Holker Estate and Playdale received £150,000 in follow-up funding from Innovate UK to build capacity and capability to help address our net zero transition. The follow-up funding from Innovate UK will build on the Phase 1 Feasibility Study led by the former South Lakeland District Council, which identified non-technical barriers to net zero. 

The funding allows us to maintain the relationships, interest and momentum of Phase 1, enabling us to deepen our understanding of non-technical barriers associated with decarbonisation of food systems and business processes, and to progress the options for addressing them.

Our project objectives include:

  • recognising the potential of circular economy to overcome non-technical barriers to net zero
  • recognising the gaps in green finance expertise by exploring innovative methods to finance low carbon projects
  • building on existing initiatives of our project team to reduce carbon emissions from food systems
  • continuing to work collaboratively, to advocate for co-design processes in net zero project and policy developments

Climate and Nature Partnership Fund

The fund aims to support collaborative partnership working to tackle climate change, support nature recovery and ensure a fair transition to a low carbon future for our communities in Westmorland and Furness.

This fund has allowed us to support 24 different partnerships that are working on an exciting variety of projects across Westmorland and Furness, and Cumbria as a whole:

Partnership projects across Cumbria
PartnershipLead applicantProject Aim
Arnside and Silverdale National LandscapeArnside and Silverdale AONBStrengthen the capacity and resilience of the national landscape team and local communities to transform the ability to respond to the climate and nature crisis.
Branching out in BarrowRAISE - Cumbria Community ForrestEstablish tree planting in three areas of Barrow identified as needing environmental improvements.
Community CollectiveLakeland ArtsInter-generational conversations, empowering local voices regarding climate activism and erosion of biodiversity.
Coniston Environment PartnershipConiston Parish CouncilIdentification of projects that would protect and enhance biodiversity whilst creating a positive amenity for the parish.
Cumbria Local Visitor Economy PartnershipCumbria TourismTo develop and implement place-based sustainable and active travel plans.
Cumbria Peat PartnershipCumbria Wildlife TrustIdentify and develop restoration sites, improve, and maintain peatland nature reserves, and deliver peatland restoration.
Cumbrian Peatland Restoration Partnership University of CumbriaPart funding a PhD at the University of Cumbria. "Wool as a novel material in the restoration of severely degraded peatlands". 
Eden Catchment PartnershipEden Rivers TrustImproving invasive species management around Eden's lakes and rivers. Outcomes will be increased knowledge, improved wetland habitat and biodiversity, improved water quality, reduced erosion and behaviour change in water users.
Flourishing Ulverston Mycellium Thinking CICTo co-create groundbreaking creative schemes to transition into a zero emission arts and cultural sector in Ulverston.
Grange to Arnside TrailMorecambe Bay PartnershipIncrease capacity to enable progression of a range of activities focused on developing the Grange to Arnside trail project.
Land and Nature Skills Service Partnership Cumbria Chamber of CommerceConnect people with learning and training opportunities relevant to land and nature-based work.
Love WindermereFreshwater Biological AssociationTo have a better understanding of Windermere's water quality, allowing for rejuvenation.
Love Windermere PartnershipLake District FoundationWorking with farmers across the Windermere catchment to help reduce nutrient runoff.
Lynster Farmers GroupLynster Farmers GroupSupported by scientists and engineers to: Optimise the Yields, Inspire the Young, Improve the Environment, Reduce Emissions, Increase Sequestration and Enable Vital Societies.
Nutrient Neutrality Project BoardLake District National Park AuthorityEnsure new development doesn't cause further harm to water environment where nutrient pollution is already having adverse impacts on protected habitat sites.
Ormsgill Community Garden BarrowFullEnabling BarrowFull to continue working with Ormsgill Stronger Together and Brathy Trust to run community bulb planting.
People and Nature NetworkWest Cumbria Rivers TrustHelp to develop Cumbria's nature recovery network. Their website will link people with nature activities across Cumbria.
People Planet PocketPeople Planet Pocket CICRunning a series of Fix Fests, with the ideas of reusing, upcycling, fixing, and mending, lending, sharing and circular economy a focus to help promote carbon reducing behaviour change.
Paths to Leadership: Active Community Engagement (PLACE)Cumbria Development Education CentreHow youth-led behaviour can lead to sustainable, locally informed and agreed actions.
Sustainability and Energy Network in StaveleySENSInitiatives to tackle the climate crisis and biodiversity and to promote sustainability in action.
The Life of the ParkOctopus Collective Ltd (Trading as Full of Noise)Developing and measuring biodiversity in Barrow Park to explore climate change effects on a micro-level through artist sessions.
Wild WalneyArt GeneHelping to enhance the biodiversity of Walney through volunteer sessions.
Windermere Science FestivalsWindermere Science Festivals CICEmpowering community groups to deliver benefits for their community needs. Addressing biodiversity loss, encouraging sustainable land-use, reducing species loss, improving green spaces and supporting more sustainable local food systems.
Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership (ZCCP)Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS)

Maximising the benefits of current lottery funded partnership activity and ensure the legacy of the programme is embedded.

The fund also helps to run ZCCP’s four emissions sector groups, deliver the inaugural Zero Carbon Cumbria summit 2024, and support community-led environmental activities. The funding also helps CAfS to develop its retrofit advice service.

Grey squirrel policy

Grey squirrels were introduced to the UK from North America. They're an invasive species in Westmorland and Furness, and are spreading throughout Cumbria. Grey squirrels threaten biodiversity, particularly native red squirrels. They also cause significant economic damage to forestry. 

Our grey squirrel policy (PDF , 111KB) is part of the solution to protect red squirrels, meet our legal requirements and to reduce economic losses in the forestry industry. 

Peatlands

Peatlands are one of our most valuable natural assets in the fight against climate change. These unique landscapes store vast amounts of carbon, support biodiversity, and help manage flood risk.

Why peatlands are important (PDF , 227KB)

This document explains why peatlands matter. It also details the work of our partners, who are helping to restore and protect these vital ecosystems. You can also find out how to get involved with the organisations below:

Landscape in a changing climate: Cumbria and the North West Conference

On 9 October 2025 Cumbria Innovative Flood Resilience (CiFR) and the Cumbria Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Partnership hosted a Landscape in a Changing Climate Conference at The Castle Green Hotel, Kendal.  This engagement event was supported and funded by the NW Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC) as one of their business plan activities.

The aim of the conference was to share learning around how the landscape is being affected by climate change and how landowners and managers can plan for and respond to this.

108 people from 53 organisations attended the event which consisted of 9 short presentations followed by a workshop.  The presentations included a range of topics including the impact of climate change on flood risk, changing forestry practices and re-naturalisation of water courses to provide a range of benefits.  The workshops explored flood risk in four communities in Cumbria (Wigton, Ambleside, Maryport and Dalton-in-Furness) with a fifth session exploring the role the RFCC have in enabling and facilitating better collaboration.

We've published the conference agenda and report:

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Email: ClimateAction@WestmorlandandFurness.gov.uk