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Biodiversity

New scheme to protect our waterways from pollution and enable home building set to launch

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Chesil beach at dusk

by Mike Burke, Programme Director – Sustainable Development The Dasgupta review has shown that nature underpins everything we do, and investing in nature generates prosperity. Leonardo Da Vinci said that “water is the driving force of all nature”, and no society …

Establishing a conservation breeding programme for hen harriers in southern England

Male hen harrier, part of the Southern Reintroduction project

By: John Holmes, NE Strategy Director Natural England, in partnership with the International Centre for Birds of Prey (ICBP), is establishing a conservation breeding programme for hen harriers as part of a pioneering project to reintroduce this iconic species to …

Catchment Sensitive Farming: supporting farmers across England

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Farming, Natural England
Two cows grazing on a gr

I’m Ceri Meehan, I'm a Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) Adviser covering the Severn River Basin District. I use my skills to deliver Natural England’s objectives in the West Midlands. I work with farmers advising them on sustainable farming practices that …

Beavers are now legally protected in England – the licensing regime explained

Beaver wetlands slow, store and filter water helping to reduce downstream flooding, improve water quality, increase biodiversity, and resilience to drought and adaptation to climate change. Photo credit: Giles Wagstaff, Natural England

By Stephanie Bird-Halton - Director of National Delivery Protection of beavers and why it’s important On 1 October 2022 the legislation changed to protect wild-living beavers in England. Beavers are now listed in Schedule 2 of the Conservation of Habitats …

Paludiculture – the future of farming on peat soils?

Posted by: and , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Climate change, Landscapes and access, Natural England, Peat

On 27 August 2022, the Government announced a new £5m fund to promote the use of peatlands for sustainable farming [1] – the Paludiculture Exploration Fund (PEF), which seeks to unlock barriers to making commercial paludiculture a reality. In this …

The death of Asta, a Natural England-tagged hen harrier

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Hen Harriers, Protected sites and species, Wildlife
Typical hen harrier upland breeding habitat

By: John Holmes, NE Strategy Director 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 dispersal …

More than 100 hen harriers fledge in England for the first time in over 100 years.

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Hen Harriers, Licensing, Protected sites and species, Wildlife
Satellite tagged hen harrier in flight

By: John Holmes, NE Strategy Director This year has seen another encouraging increase in the breeding population of one of our rarest birds of prey. Natural England and partners are pleased to report that a total of 49 hen harrier …

Biodiversity Metric Milestone - Defra consultation on the biodiversity metric

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The Secretary of State has now launched an 8-week consultation on the Biodiversity Metric to be used for the purpose of calculating biodiversity net gain as required under the 2021 Environment Act[1]. The Biodiversity Metric is a key tool that …

Natural England’s response to avian influenza in wild birds – August 2022

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Marine environment, Natural England, Wildlife
Farne Islands guillemot colony

By Ginny Swaile, Deputy Director Science - Sustainable land and sea use The UK is currently experiencing the largest outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza on record with poultry, captive birds and wild birds all affected. A similar situation is …

Nutrient mitigation scheme can help provide the nature and housing we need

By Mel Hughes, Director of Sustainable Development, Natural England Solutions to the pressing issue of how to bring forward plans for sustainable new homes without adding further nutrients to our already polluted waterbodies have been strengthened this week by Natural …