By Dr. Peter Brotherton, Director of Science, Natural England There can sometimes seem to be a lot of COPs. Periodic ‘Conferences of the Parties’ (COPs) are held for all the United Nation environmental conventions. In the UK, greatest prominence is …
By Jim Milner - PEF Project Manager, Natural England and Jordan Champ - Senior Policy Advisor, Lowland Peat, Defra In our first blog post in September, we introduced paludiculture, a system of farming on rewetted peat soils. Paludiculture offers an …
Another year, another climate change COP! COP27 (Conference of Parties) was my second, having attended COP26 in Glasgow last year. This year’s was distinctly different for me: partly because of the location – Glasgow and Sharm el Sheikh are …
By Mike Burke, Head of Programme – Sustainable Development Natural England has just published several research reports to inform and support the sustainable development of offshore windfarms, contributing to economic growth and energy security. This package of research will provide …
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 …
Bees are undeniably beautiful and fascinating insects, but what many people do not always realise is how vital they are for a healthy environment and healthy economy. The vast majority of our food and wildflowers rely on pollination, which bees …
In 2021, we launched a new £12.5m pilot programme funded by Treasury’s Shared Outcomes Fund to research and tackle biodiversity loss and climate change. The pilot programme aims to test approaches for creating and restoring species rich habitats, such as …
The UK Government’s ambition to increase tree and woodland cover in England from 14 to 17%, by more than trebling annual planting rates by 2050, represents a major shift in land use policy. As well as enhancing carbon sequestration, new …
Defra has just opened a 12-week consultation, seeking views on the proposed aims and principles of marine net gain and how to best introduce a net gain approach to infrastructure and development in the marine environment. Natural England welcomes this …
During recent years there has been a very important shift in how we approach the task of looking after the natural world in England. Whereas once it was the idea of conservation that shaped ideas and actions, today the notion …