Licensing

Accelerating Development and Nature Recovery: A Natural England Perspective on the Nature Restoration Fund 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Development, Growth, Licensing, Natural England

Natural England welcomes the Government’s commitment to reform the planning system in such a way that it delivers sustainable development while unlocking new and more joined-up opportunities for nature’s recovery.   Bradley Tooze, Strategy Director at Natural England, outlines Natural England’s …

From fences to freedom: England’s continuing beaver journey

By Stuart Otway, Principal Officer in Natural England’s Complex Cases Team and Delphine Pouget, Principal Officer in Natural England’s Species Recovery & Reintroductions Team In February 2025 Defra published its landmark policy on the wild release and management of beavers …

Enabling sustainable growth — Natural England supporting nature-positive development 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Development, Growth, Licensing, Nutrient Neutrality
A scene pf a housing estate development of detached houses

By James Seymour, Natural England Area Manager for Kent and Sussex  At Natural England, we help facilitate housing developments by enabling developers to deliver vital environmental benefits through our strategic licensing tools. These include District Level Licensing for great crested …

Wildlife licensing: enabling development while protecting Nature - annual summary 2024  

A bat hunting an insect

By Gemma Ole's, Deputy Director, Natural England Wildlife Licensing Service At Natural England we help balance economic growth with nature protection. Wildlife licensing is a vital tool to enable this. Our licences are broad ranging and allow development and other …

Conclusion of Hen Harrier Brood Management Trial (updated)

A hen harrier in flight

The experimental trial of hen harrier ‘brood management’ has ended, concluding that this activity has contributed to increased numbers of nesting hen harriers on some grouse moors. However, illegal killing of hen harriers has continued, and a range of approaches …

Outcome of Natural England’s review of bird of prey ‘wild take’ licensing for falconry and aviculture

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Evidence, Licensing, Natural England, Nature, Wildlife
A sparrowhawk in flight

Natural England has today published the outcome of its review into the licensing of ‘wild take’, a practice that involves taking young birds of prey from the wild for use in falconry and aviculture. Defra ministers have endorsed Natural England’s …

Beaver wild release: a milestone for nature recovery in England

Beaver entering the water. Credit: Maria Thompson, Natural England

By Stuart Otway, Principal Officer in Natural England’s Complex Cases Unit and Delphine Pouget, Principal Officer in Natural England’s Species Recovery & Reintroductions Team  After centuries of absence, beavers are beginning to reclaim their rightful place in the English landscape. …

Inspectors tackling wildlife crime

A tawny owl perched on a tree branch

By Samantha Johnson-Roberts, Natural England Wildlife Inspector Background There aren't many jobs that combine tackling crime with protecting species like dormice and otters, but here at Natural England there are 46 of us and I'm lucky enough to be one …

Natural England’s role in licensing to control badgers to prevent the spread of bovine Tuberculosis

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Farming, Licensing, Natural England, Science and evidence, Wildlife, wildlife and farming

Current government policy is to enable culling or vaccination of badgers to control bovine Tuberculosis (bTB). The Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs has today (30 August) announced a refresh of the strategy for control of bovine …

Clarifying the Facts: Tagging of hedgehogs and licensing requirements

Image shows a hedgehog amongst some dry leaves and green ivy

There has been some misinformation on social media recently regarding the tagging of hedgehogs to enable identification of individuals. This blog post from Natural England aims to set the record straight and provide clarity on this important issue. Background Marking …