Natural England

Forests beneath the waves: celebrating our magnificent kelp

Natural England, 13 January 2025 - Biodiversity, Climate change, Coast and access, Marine environment, Natural England, Nature, Nature Recovery, Protected sites and species, Wildlife

Marina Rees, Marine Higher Officer at Natural England When I joined the Thames Solent team as a marine lead adviser, I jumped at the opportunity to work on a project which delved into the world of kelp. I have long …

Maximising the miracle and minimising the disaster – putting Nature at the heart of food security

Tony Juniper, 10 January 2025 - Biodiversity, Climate change, Farming, Natural Capital, Natural England, Nature Recovery

I was invited to speak at a historic event this week – the first major joint gathering of attendees at the two Oxford farming conferences: the Oxford Farming Conference and the Oxford Real Farming Conference. After more than a decade …

Update on the deaths of three tagged hen harriers

Natural England, 18 December 2024 - Hen Harriers

Hen harriers remain rare in England, with a welcome increase in their population over the last few years stalling in 2024. Poor weather and food availability may cause their numbers to fluctuate, but ongoing illegal killing remains a serious threat …

Celebrating 75 years of the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act

Marian Spain, 13 December 2024 - Landscapes and access, Natural England, Parks, trails and nature reserves, Protected sites and species, Wildlife

By Marian Spain, Chief Executive, Natural England We know now that access to nature is vital for our health and wellbeing, and when we feel a connection with nature, we’re more likely to care for it and help its recovery. …

Magic Maps: change to service platform

Natural England, 12 December 2024 - Evidence, Mapping, Monitoring, Natural England, Science and evidence

What is MAGIC? The ‘Multi-Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside’ (MAGIC) service has been around since 2002. The MAGIC website provides geographic information about the natural environment from across government. The information covers rural, urban, coastal and marine environments across …

Details released of new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier – Natural England to work with invited farmers to develop applications

Natural England, 11 December 2024 - Biodiversity, Farming, Natural England, Nature, wildlife and farming

By Peter Craven, Head of Agriculture Defra has today announced the new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) offer, one of three Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes, to help incentivise farmers to deliver improvements for nature and support sustainable food production. …

New Nature Connection website brings together policy, practice and research

Natural England, 10 December 2024 - Coast and access, Connecting People with Nature, Mental health and wellbeing, Natural England, Parks, trails and nature reserves

The University of Derby and Natural England have been developing a Nature Connectedness Network and it has now gone public with the launch of its website! CLICK HERE www.natureconnectedness.net As society becomes more aware of the mutual dependency between people …

1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act - a reflection from Navroza Ladha

Navroza Ladha, 6 December 2024 - Landscape, Nature, Parks, trails and nature reserves, Wildlife

By Navroza Ladha, Chief Officer for Legal, Governance and External Affairs at Natural England On the 16 December this year (2024) we will be celebrating the 75th anniversary of the groundbreaking “1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act”, …

Purple Horizons Nature Recovery Project: Helping a post-industrial landscape bloom and buzz

Natural England, 4 December 2024 - Biodiversity, Climate change, Connecting People with Nature, Mental health and wellbeing, Natural England, Nature Recovery, Nature Recovery Network, Parks, trails and nature reserves, Site of Special Scientific Interest, Wildlife

By Dr Chloe Hardman, Senior Project Manager, West Midlands Team Bustling towns and cities, major transport routes, the birthplace of the industrial revolution. Where are we? The northern edge of the West Midlands Conurbation, home to 2.9 million people. Step …

Working together for Nature Recovery in Greater Manchester

Marian Spain, 3 December 2024 - Biodiversity, Biodiversity Net Gain, Connecting People with Nature, Development, Ecosystem Services, Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS), Natural Capital, Natural England, Nature Recovery, Nature-based solutions, Wildlife

The launch of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) has been a major achievement this year – this world-leading initiative means that for the first time, development must leave nature measurably improved. I was lucky enough to visit Greater Manchester to speak …

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