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 …
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. …
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 …
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. …
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 …
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”, …
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 …
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 …
The government is committed to nature recovery and Natural England (NE) is working with partners to grow a national Nature Recovery Network (NRN). This growing network of enhanced, better-connected wildlife-rich places supports biodiversity and species recovery. It will also enhance climate …
By Dr Chloe Hardman, Senior Project Manager, West Midlands Area Team How do you connect with nature? Noticing birdsong? Watching the changing seasons? There is scope for us all to find ways to connect with nature more deeply and experience …