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Licensing

Natural England wildlife licensing statistics for 2023

A great crested newt on a mossy piece of tree debris

Many wild animals and plants are protected by legislation such as the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. As nature conservation adviser and regulator, one of Natural England’s roles is to licence …

A promising first year of the hen harrier conservation breeding programme and reintroduction

Close up shot of a female hen harrier bird

 A recap   In Autumn of 2022, ten captive  hen harriers were transported to the UK from a rescue centre  in France for Natural England’s conservation breeding programme (Hen harrier Reintroduction NE Blog). This forms an important step in the Southern …

Update on the Hen Harrier Brood Management Trial

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Hen Harriers, Licensing, Protected sites and species, Science and evidence
Brood managed hen harrier.

By John Holmes, Strategy Director, Natural England Natural England is involved in several initiatives under the Hen Harrier Action Plan, one of which is the brood management trial. Brood management involves taking the eggs or chicks of some Hen Harriers …

Protecting nature through our enforcement work – latest data published

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Licensing, Protected sites and species
Water crowfoot near Croxhall River Mease Site of Special Scientific Interest Staffordshire

By Stephanie Bird-Halton, National Delivery Director. At Natural England our mission is to build partnerships for nature’s recovery, which is reflected in our work with a wide range of people to rebuild sustainable ecosystems and protect and restore habitats, species, …

Gamekeeper sentenced for raptor persecution illustrates wider problem of wildlife poisonings

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Licensing, Protected sites and species, Wildlife
Dorset Police & Natural England with two containers of Cymag

By Stephanie Bird-Halton, National Delivery Director. Today, Paul Allen, a gamekeeper working on the Shaftesbury Estate in Dorset, was sentenced for offences of possession of dead buzzards, keeping of banned pesticides and failing to comply with conditions of shotgun and …

Natural England wildlife licensing statistics for 2022

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Licensing, Protected sites and species, Wildlife
Red kites in aviaries in Spain ahead of release

By Stephanie Bird-Halton, National Delivery Director Many wild animals and plants are protected in law by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. As nature conservation adviser and regulator, one of Natural …

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 …

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 …

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

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Licensing, Natural England, Uncategorized

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 …