West Midlands Swift Academy – Connecting People and Swifts in Urban Spaces 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Birds, Connecting People with Nature, Education, Natural England, Nature, Species recovery, Wildlife
Close up photo of a small light brown bird in flight against a blurred gray background.

By Chloe Hardman, Senior Project Manager, West Midlands Area Team   In this blog, Chloe Hardman discusses swifts, and the amazing work being done to protect them within communities in the Midlands. When was the last time an animal made you …

Unlocking the geography of health and deprivation: two enhanced analytical tools launch today

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Connecting People with Nature, Evidence, Green Infrastructure, Mapping, Natural England, Nature
Image shows a neighbourhood that has implemented good GI. A green park with a pathway runs through it, a clear blue sky hangs overhead. The trees and grass are lush and vibrant

By Sarah Hammonds, Urban Greening Senior Officer This blog discusses the launch of two new tools: the Index of Multiple Environmental Deprivation (IMED) and the Environmental Equity Index (EEI). Built collaboratively over 18 months, they map environmental pressures and health …

Creating new wood pasture: What we’ve learned from Nature Returns

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Climate change, Ecosystem Services, Natural England, Nature Returns, Nature-based solutions, Science and evidence, wildlife and farming
Wood pasture illustration of veteran and other open grown trees, decay habitats, scrub and structurally diverse open areas grazed by large herbivores. Reproduced from the Creation of Wood Pasture Systems Toolkit (National Trust, 2023) with permission of the National Trust. Credit: National Trust/Richard Allen.

By Jessica Elias, Natural England Nature-based Solutions are increasingly recognised as an effective way to respond to climate change while restoring nature and improving people’s wellbeing. Through the Nature Returns programme, we’ve had the opportunity to see how one approach …

Grazing on Dartmoor – Setting the record straight on Natural England's role

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Grazing, Natural England, Nature, wildlife and farming
Natural England logo

This blog was updated on 16th June Recent media coverage has suggested that Natural England has recommended a cull of ponies on Dartmoor. This is categorically not true, nor is it true to suggest any scheme has been designed with …

Growing Green: How England's Cities are Putting Nature at the Heart of Development

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Climate change, Connecting People with Nature, Development, Green Infrastructure, Natural England, Nature, Nature-based solutions, Parks, trails and nature reserves
A group of 10 people (mixed gender) stand together smiling outside of an old building with trees and shrubs.

By Nicola Brown, Senior Officer, Green Infrastructure  This blog explores the amazing green infrastructure work being done across the UK and Europe to ensure that our towns and cities are resilient enough to cope with the effects of climate change. …

Nature and Growth - Reflections from UKREiiF

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Development, Environmental Delivery Plan, Natural England, Nature, Nature Restoration Fund, Planning, Wildlife
A man and 4 women sit on individual armchairs on a stage, each with a microphone, engaged in a panel discussion in front of an audience.

By Marian Spain, CEO of Natural England In this blog, our Chief Executive Marian Spain reflects on her recent attendance at the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum and discusses the major role that nature plays in growth and …

Integrating clean power and the natural environment 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Development, Green Infrastructure, Growth, Natural England, Nature, Wildlife
Large solar panels in a green field, under a blue sunny sky with a few clouds.

By Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England In this blog, our Chair Tony Juniper reflects on a recent site visit to a solar farm in Essex where he saw first-hand how clean solar energy can be delivered alongside measures to support biodiversity and …

Celebrating 75 Years of the Countryside Code!

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Coast and access, Connecting People with Nature, Countryside Code, Education, Mental health and wellbeing, Natural England, Nature

By Clare Webb, Countryside Code Project Manager at Natural England.  In this blog, Countryside Code Project Manager Clare Webb reflects on the evolution of the code over the last 75 years, and how her work has changed to accommodate evolving …

A shared picture of progress: new Defra and Natural England evidence shows 77,638 hectares of habitat target delivery

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Habitat, Monitoring, Natural England, Nature, Nature Recovery
Planted hedgerow gaps. Credit: Peter Roworth

By Alice Howard, Senior Data Scientist Defra and Natural England have published the 2026 habitat target metric, showing that action has been undertaken on 77,638 hectares to create or restore wildlife-rich habitat across England since January 2023, nearly double last …

Nutrient Mitigation Scheme - clarification of Natural England's role

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Development, Environmental Delivery Plan, Growth, Nutrient Neutrality

There has been recent reporting in the media and on social media around Natural England’s role in delivering the Nutrient Mitigation Scheme. Natural England has a statutory duty to support sustainable development. We work with developers and planning authorities to …