Salford Town Councillor Lewis Nelson was appointed the first Wildlife Champion for Salford last week.
The newly created Wildlife Champion position is responsible for looking after Salford’s green spaces and developing initiatives to re-engage people with nature.
Councillor Nelson plans to promote awareness about the abundance of wildlife in Salford, and to educate people about the plants and animals that can be found.
Councillor Nelson said: “It’s really important to bring people with us on the journey in terms of re-engaging the city with its wildlife and improving the biodiversity.”
The news was welcomed by environmental groups across Salford.
Shaun Hargreaves of the Greater Manchester Birding City Region Project said: “Salford is starting to break free from its’ “Dirty Old Town” image.
“More people are learning just how great the environment is, from the Salford docklands to the River Irwell to the internationally important mosslands, known locally as the ‘Serengeti of the North’.”
Some wards in Salford have less than 5% green cover, but the council has historically done a lot to promote green space in the city, most of which is on old mining land.
Now, the city has eight award-winning parks, along with nature reserves and wetlands.
Councillor Nelson said: “I think we’re quite lucky in a lot of ways to have so much wildlife.”
