Skip to main content

Environment Act

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 …

Two more years: extending ambitions for Nature recovery

Tony walks with King Charles along a path in the Lincolnshire NNR. It's a beautiful sunny day, the King wears a light beige coloured suit. Tony has a blue shirt - he carries a pair of binoculars in his hand.

By Tony Juniper CBE, Chair of Natural England I was delighted to be invited to serve a third term as Chair of Natural England and look forward to continuing to lead the organisation as it adopts and implements a new …

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 …

International use of England's biodiversity metric having global impact

An aerial view of the city of Uppsala in Sweden, where the Natural England biodiversity metric has been used

By Nick White, Principal Adviser on Biodiversity Net Gain, and Steve Panks, Principal Specialist Biodiversity Net Gain and Biodiversity Metrics, at Natural England, explore the global significance of the biodiversity metric and its role in nature recovery across the world.  …

Reflecting on the first six months of BNG

A development at Woodhurst Park, Bracknell, Berkshire, that has incorporated BNG on-site. (Image courtesy of Berkeley Group)

By Chris Kaighin – Deputy Director, Biodiversity Net Gain Services It has been six months since the world-leading initiative Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) became mandatory for most planning applications under the Town and Country Planning Act. BNG makes sure development …

We've enabled thousands of homes in the Tees area - and much more!

A view of some of the saltmarsh wetlands that are part of the Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast Special Protection Area (SPA)

The Nutrient Mitigation Scheme (NMS) continues with our sixth nutrient credit round now open in the Tees. To date we have offered credits for over 6,000 new homes in the Tees catchment area and have mitigation ready to meet thousands …

National conversation needed on how to turbo-charge Nature recovery while building the homes the country needs

Birds flying over a wetland

England doesn’t have enough houses, and also doesn’t have enough Nature. If we are to succeed in meeting our national needs, we require more of both. For too long we’ve been told that the only way to build more homes …

A high five for everyone driving Nature recovery – but we must not rest on our laurels

Tony Juniper stands in a grassy field with lots of colourful wildflowers growing. A blue sky with white fluffy clouds hangs overhead.

Tony Juniper CBE, Chair of Natural England Today marks five years since I became Chair of Natural England, which seems to me an appropriate point at which to take stock of the important progress made towards recovering Nature in that …