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Date updated: 2/06/2026

We have nine charities in the Natural Environment Division, through which our open spaces are governed. These are:

These open spaces, spread across London and the Home Counties, are part of what makes London an attractive and healthy city.

They provide rare and ancient habitats for a range of endangered plants and animals and capture 16,400 thousand tonnes of carbon a year.

They attract 25m visitors annually – almost double the number of visitors to Premiership football matches and five times the number of visitors to the Grand Canyon.

Baseline Natural Capital Assessment - City of London PDF (5MB)
Date submitted: 1/03/24

Our strategies set out how we build on 150 years of stewardship from the City Corporation to enhance and protect the green lungs of London.

Our Vision

Open spaces: Rich in diversity, conserving nature, creating memories, enhancing lives.

Our Mission

To protect and enhance our open spaces across London and the Home Counties, working in partnership to ensure they remain accessible, sustainable and preserved for the benefit of the public.

Our Strategies

Nature Conservation Resilience strategy PDF (2MB)
Aims to conserve the special biodiversity and habitats of our open spaces and will manage them to secure their future.
Date submitted: 19/01/24
Community Engagement strategy PDF (2MB)
Aims to act as stewards of our public open spaces in partnership with communities to ensure their responsible use and conservation in perpetuity.
Date submitted: 19/01/24
Access Recreation strategy PDF (2MB)
Aims to sustainably manage the natural environments and heritage and inspire visitors to enjoy and protect these spaces for future generations.
Date submitted: 19/01/24
Culture Heritage Learning strategy PDF (2MB)
Aims to take care of cultural assets by developing participation, connection and wellbeing of visitors
Date submitted: 19/01/24

Transformation

The City Corporation's Open Spaces Department was rebranded as the Natural Environment Division in 2022 and was incorporated into the new Environment Department to embrace a more strategic, cross-cutting approach. 

Natural Environment Charities Review

The City Corporation, as trustee of the eight natural environment charities, is making changes to improve the governance and management of our open spaces. 

NE Charities Review - Frequently asked questions (263KB)
Date submitted: 10/03/26
Natural Environment Charities Review - Quarterly Update 2 (165KB)
Date submitted: 5/12/25

Natural Environment Charities – Grant Funding

As part of the Natural Environment Charities Review (NECR), it has been agreed that the eight Natural Environment Charities move to a grant-funded model from 1st April 2026, to bring them in line with best practice charity governance, and support new funding opportunities and financial resilience. This means that money generated through specific activities stays with the relevant charity and is reinvested directly back into delivering their charitable objectives. Full details are available in the Natural Environment Charities’ Grant Funding Model Framework Document

Natural Environment Charities – Grant Funding Framework PDF (221KB)
Date submitted: 2/06/26