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Assessing the health of the River Wye and its catchment

A picture containing grass, cloud, outdoor sky

By Emma Johnson, Area Manager - West Midlands Team The Wye Valley is an iconic landscape, hugely important for biodiversity due to the wide range of rare river wildlife, loved by people and important for farming. It’s because it’s so …

Join us in celebrating England’s most important places for nature – National Nature Reserves

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By Jamie Neale, NNR Week Coordinator, Natural England 2023 is a pioneering year for England’s most important places for nature, National Nature Reserves (NNRs). Between May 20th and May 29th, the very first National Nature Reserves Week (NNR Week) will …

Children & Nature Programme: the importance of integrating time spent in nature at school

Fathe with two children looking at nature

Across government, we share an aspiration to create healthy, happy societies. One mechanism for achieving this is by improving the connection people have with nature, which provides better mental and physical health. For children, the effects are more profound, with …

The death of Free, a Natural England tagged hen harrier

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Hen Harriers, Protected sites and species, Wildlife
Image of 'Natural England' logo.

Stephanie Bird-Halton, Director, National Delivery, Natural England Hen harriers are currently extremely rare in England due to illegal persecution and nest disturbance, primarily in areas associated with grouse shooting. Natural England satellite-tracks hen harriers in order to investigate patterns of …

Nature Recovery: led by evidence. Chief Scientist Report 2022

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Science and evidence, Wildlife

Dr Tim Hill, Chief Scientist at Natural England, tells us about the publication of Natural England’s fifth Chief Scientist Report. Never before has good quality science, evidence and analysis on environmental change been so important for nature, society and the …

How new fire management partnerships are helping nature to recover at Hatfield Moors

Hatfield Moors - photo shows the moors recovering with native plants springing up across the moor

Almost three years on from a serious wildfire at Hatfield Moors near Doncaster, nature is in recovery thanks to an ever-stronger partnership between Natural England and South Yorkshire and Humberside Fire and Rescue Services. A new, jointly written Wildfire Management …

Natural England’s Nutrient Mitigation Scheme, devised to protect our waterways from pollution and enable home building, has now launched

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Protected sites and species, Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site at Mordon where new wetlands likely to be created

By Mike Burke, Programme Director – Sustainable Development Nutrient pollution is an urgent problem for freshwater habitats and estuaries which provide a vital home to many species including wetland birds, fish, and insects. Increased levels of nutrients such as nitrogen …

Measuring biodiversity net gain - Publication of Biodiversity Metric 4.0

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity
A river at sunset with plants in the foreground, trees lining the river banks and a metal bridge in the distance

By Mike Burke, Programme Director – Sustainable Development Hot on the heels of the recent policy updates and associated guidance from Defra last week, we're pleased to share the publication of the biodiversity metric 4.0, another important milestone for biodiversity net …