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Protected sites and species

Protecting nature through our enforcement work – latest data published

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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

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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 …

The “battery-powered” partnerships of Nature recovery

Blog by Tony Juniper CBE, Chair of Natural England I’m writing this blog from COP 15 in Montreal where nations of the world have come together to discuss one of the most urgent issues of our age: how do we …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Conservation comes full circle - Natural England licenses translocation of red kites to aid conservation efforts in Spain.

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

By John Holmes, Operations Director The most successful species reintroduction to England ever - the red kite - has come full circle this year, with Natural England licensing the translocation of red kites back to Spain to help bolster low …