Biodiversity

The Species Recovery Programme Capital Grant Scheme – a Natural England partnership success story

Pearl-bordered fritillary, credit: Devon Wildlife Trust

By James Phillips - Principal Officer – Species Recovery and Species Re-introductions and Karen Shelley-Jones - Senior Officer – Funding and Grant Scheme Management England’s species charm, intrigue, amaze and inspire us, sparking interest and concern in the natural world.  …

24 hour 'bioblitz' at one of England's newest National Nature Reserves

By Karen Faux - Local Nature Recovery Senior at Natural England In July, over 50 Natural England staff and partners came together for a 24 hour species recording event (or ‘bioblitz’) on the recently declared North Kent Woods and Downs …

Nurturing Cumbria's Hidden Gem: East of Eden Nature Recovery Project

By Katharine Milnes, East of Eden Nature Recovery Project Senior Advisor A Landscape of Contrasts Venture east of the M6, away from Cumbria's famous Lake District mountains, and you'll discover Cumbria's own Eden. Here, the wide, fertile valley of the …

Crayfish clawing their way back in Nottinghamshire: A conservation success story in the making

Bare hand holding a crayfish above a blue bucket.

By Danielle Greaves, Higher Officer - Species Reintroduction and Recovery, Natural England Hidden beneath the surface of Nottinghamshire's rivers and streams lives an increasingly rare species – the white-clawed crayfish. As the UK's only native freshwater crayfish, these creatures play …

Protected Site Strategies – Problems Shared

By David Burton, Principal Officer, Protected Site Strategies “Whatever lies on the horizon, these reserves might just offer a simple vision of how good things could be.” Professor John Wedgwood Clarke, Wild Westcountry Odyssey 2025 So reflected academic and poet …

Ringing in nature's return: Derby celebrates swift migration with 'Bells for Birds' initiative 

Swift in flight against a blue sky backdrop.

By Jo Birch, Senior Officer, Inclusion & Connecting People with Nature, East Midlands Area Team  The joyous sound of church bells rings out across Derby, not to mark the hour or call the congregation to worship, but to celebrate a …

Getting water wise – Shared Standards in Water Efficiency for Local Plans in East Anglia 

The Shared Standards provide recommendations for Local Planning Authorities to develop Local Plan policies including requiring new homes to be more water efficient (© Water Resources East)

By Dr. Louise Bardsley, Principal Adviser Strategic Solutions, Natural England The East of England is the fastest growing region in England. It’s also the driest. Communities, businesses, farming and nature all need enough water to thrive. But without a fundamental …

Farming and flooding: how agriculture is working alongside nature to slow the flow in North Yorkshire

By Emma Stallworthy, Project Officer for Natural England, explains her role in Ousewem Using nature-based solutions to benefit both agriculture and wildlife while reducing flood risk is the aim of an innovative project in North Yorkshire. Ousewem is a local …

The power of DNA: using innovation for nature’s recovery

A Natural England adviser taking a water sample from a pond to monitor DNA

By Andrew Nisbet, Natural England's Deputy Director for Monitoring Natural England is at the forefront of introducing innovative technologies into biodiversity monitoring. Environmental DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the DNA that can be obtained from an environmental sample such as water, …

We're better together - the Bollin to Mersey Nature Recovery Partnership

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Natural England, Nature, Nature Recovery, Nature Recovery Network, Wildlife
Orchids are blooming in a wet meadow in Chorlton. © D Barlow, Manchester City Council

What is the Bollin to Mersey Nature Recovery Partnership? It seems at first glance that the contrast between the Southern part of Greater Manchester and the Northern part of its neighbouring county Cheshire, is massive. Urban versus rural, grey rather …