By John Holmes, Director of Strategy On 5 September, Defra announced strengthened legislation on burning on peat. The new legislation came into force this week, with the new burning season commencing on Wednesday. We welcome the strengthened legislation which will …
The experimental trial of hen harrier ‘brood management’ has ended, concluding that this activity has contributed to increased numbers of nesting hen harriers on some grouse moors. However, illegal killing of hen harriers has continued, and a range of approaches …
Natural England has today published the outcome of its review into the licensing of ‘wild take’, a practice that involves taking young birds of prey from the wild for use in falconry and aviculture. Defra ministers have endorsed Natural England’s …
By John Holmes, Strategy Director, Natural England. The Hen Harrier, an iconic bird of upland landscapes, is one of our rarest birds of prey. Driven to extinction in mainland Britain in the 19th century, since recolonising England in the 1960s …
A recap In Autumn of 2022, ten captive hen harriers were transported to the UK from a rescue centre in France for Natural England’s conservation breeding programme (Hen harrier Reintroduction NE Blog). This forms an important step in the Southern …
John Holmes, Strategy Director, Natural England I confess I have never seen a pine marten, but I hope to one day. For now though, knowing they are out there, and that they are spreading gives me real hope for nature …
By John Holmes, Strategy Director, Natural England Water is a fundamental resource for life - there is no environment, society, or economy without it and yet it has probably been taken for granted more than other resource. Perhaps that is …
By John Holmes, Strategy Director, Natural England Natural England is involved in several initiatives under the Hen Harrier Action Plan, one of which is the brood management trial. Brood management involves taking the eggs or chicks of some Hen Harriers …