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Natural England

Growing together - how community-led green infrastructure delivers health and climate benefits

Hands holding seedlings. © Pexels/ Shvetsa

In Britain's increasingly urban landscape, where 85% of the population lives in towns and cities, green infrastructure has become essential for collective wellbeing. Yet one-third of people cannot access quality natural spaces within 15 minutes of home - a deficit …

Action to restore or create at least 38,877 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat has been undertaken since January 2023

By Dr Ruth Hall, Principal specialist for habitats at Natural England Today, for the first time we can start to understand our progress towards the Environment Act habitat target, which is to restore or create at least 500,000 hectares of …

Creating Nature Towns and Cities conference

Nature Towns and Cities is a partnership between Natural England, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the National Trust working to ensure everyone in the UK can access the benefits of nature and green spaces.  We're delighted to invite you …

A new peat map for England 

By Dr Ruth Waters, Director for Evidence, Natural England, and David Jones, Senior Responsible Officer for the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment, Defra England’s peat deposits are one of our most valuable national assets. They’re our largest carbon store, they …

Nature Towns and Cities: Creating Greener Neighbourhoods and Brighter Futures 

David Drake, Director, People & Nature at Natural England Did you know 47% of people do not currently have access to green space within 15-minutes' walk of home? Nature Towns and Cities aims to transform this reality, enabling millions of …

A New Era for England's Nature: Celebrating the Publication of the second Local Nature Recovery Strategy

By Emily Butterwick – Northamptonshire LNRS Senior Officer This month we celebrate the publication of North Northamptonshire Council’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS). It marks a significant milestone towards our country’s efforts to tackle biodiversity loss, climate change and improving …

How new technologies are helping us monitor one of England’s largest grey seal colonies 

A seal and its pup on Horsey Beach. Image: Natural England

By Gabriella Fasoli and Nick Tomline (AI specialists), Emma Milner (marine mammal specialist) and Elizabeth Mitchell (engagement), all on the marine Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (mNCEA) programme Documenting Norfolk's biggest beach party On a windy day in December, something …

Apprenticeship Week: Developing the Skills for Nature’s Recovery

To celebrate Apprenticeship Week 2025, Ecologist Apprentice, Annalise Machin, shares her apprenticeship journey with Natural England, highlighting the impact her developing skills will have for nature’s recovery. I have always had an interest in in the natural world, loving the …

Helping nature to recover and thrive in the Wye Valley in Derbyshire

Ruth Keeley, Wye Valley Nature Recovery Project Senior Officer Back in 2022, Natural England and Defra announced five unique Nature Recovery Projects (NRP) across the Peak District, West Midlands, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Somerset. Since then, a further seven projects have …

Green Infrastructure: the catalyst for Urban Greening 

It’s two years since Natural England launched the Green Infrastructure (GI) Framework to support the creation of good quality Green Infrastructure. It’s well documented that we need to build a more sustainable future, and at the forefront of this movement …