Celebrating 60 Years of the Pennine Way: A Legacy of Access, Nature, and Inspiration 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Connecting People with Nature, Landscapes, Landscapes and access, Mapping, Natural England, Nature, Parks, trails and nature reserves, Wildlife
Malham Cove, Yorkshire © www.nationaltrails.co.uk

By David Drake, Director for People and Nature, Natural England  On 24 April 2025, I had the privilege of joining a remarkable celebration - the 60th anniversary of the Pennine Way. As Britain’s first National Trail, the Pennine Way remains …

Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve & Kew Millennium Seed Bank: Sowing Seeds for Nature’s Recovery

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Connecting People with Nature, Education, Mental health and wellbeing, National Nature Reserve, Natural England, Nature, Nature Recovery, Parks, trails and nature reserves, Science and evidence, Species recovery, Tree Planting, Wildlife
A special event at Aston Rowant NNR with local grassroots walking group. © Nicola Schafer.

By Mick Venters, Senior Reserve Manager at Aston Rowant NNR, Natural England. Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve (NNR) is a hidden gem in the Chiltern Hills, and I am fortunate to have spent over twenty years as the Reserve Manager …

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

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Development, Evidence, Licensing, Natural England, Nature, Nature Recovery, Protected sites and species, Species recovery, Wildlife
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 …

Growing together - how community-led green infrastructure delivers health and climate benefits

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Climate change, Connecting People with Nature, Development, Environment Act, Environmental Improvement Plan, Flood Management, Green Infrastructure, Growth, Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS), Mapping, Mental health and wellbeing, Natural England, Nature, Nature Recovery, Nature Recovery Network
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 …

Growing more than food: The benefits of nature-friendly farming

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Farming, Natural England, wildlife and farming
Cows on Upwood Meadows Nature Reserve, Cambridgeshire

By Martin Lines, CEO, Nature Friendly Farming Network, andPeter Craven, Head of Agriculture, Natural England This week is Nature Friendly Farming Week, and with a theme of 'More than growing food' it aims to highlight the wider benefits of nature-friendly …

Action to restore or create at least 38,877 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat has been undertaken since January 2023

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Climate change, Environment Act, Environmental Improvement Plan, Evidence, Landscape, Natural England, Nature, Nature Recovery, Nature Recovery Network, Protected sites and species, Wildlife

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 …

Creating Nature Towns and Cities conference

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Climate change, Connecting People with Nature, Environmental Improvement Plan, Green Infrastructure, Growth, Mental health and wellbeing, Natural England, Nature, Nature Recovery, Nature Recovery Network, Wildlife

Nature Towns and Cities is a partnership between Natural England, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the National Trust working to ensure everyone in the UK can access the benefits of nature and green spaces.  We're delighted to invite you …

Protecting one of England's rarest marine habitats: Natural England's work on maerl

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Evidence, Marine environment, Monitoring, Natural England, Nature
Maerl researcher and academic Professor Jason Hall-Spencer showing Phumatolithon calcareum maerl. Credit Matt Slater

By Angela Gall, Marine Senior Officer Hidden beneath the waves along the south coast of Cornwall lies an ancient marine habitat, maerl beds. These pink, twiglet-shaped rhodoliths are free-living, calcified red seaweeds forming intricate, three-dimensional structures on the seabed. They're …

A new peat map for England 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Climate change, Environmental Improvement Plan, Landscapes, Mapping, Monitoring, Natural England, Nature Recovery Network, NCEA, Peat, Science and evidence

By Dr Ruth Waters, Director for Evidence, Natural England, and David Jones, Senior Responsible Officer for the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment, Defra England’s peat deposits are one of our most valuable national assets. They’re our largest carbon store, they …

Guest blog: Benefits of engaging local communities in BNG

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Biodiversity Net Gain, Biodiversity Net Gain – Hints and Tips, Development, Natural England, Nature, Nature Recovery
Members of a community work on a project to increase biodiversity on a London thoroughfare

Rosie Whicheloe, Senior Planning Ecologist for a local authority in London, explains how she’s looking at the benefits of public engagement in BNG for the communities in which they live. Delivering social value alongside BNG is incredibly important in urban …