A brighter future for Cornwall’s willow tits

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Landscapes, Monitoring, National Nature Reserve, Natural England, Nature, Nature Recovery, Nature-based solutions, Parks, trails and nature reserves, Species recovery, Wildlife
Willow tit. © Adrian Davey, CBWPS member

Weighing as much as two teaspoons of sugar, with a round body and a ‘sooty black cap’ on their heads, willow tits are some of the sweetest looking birds in the country. But they are in danger – the willow …

Tracking Jack Snipe: Our quest to understand the UK’s most elusive bird

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Evidence, Monitoring, Natural England, Nature, Nature Recovery, Wildlife
Jack Snipe head and bill profile. © Kevin Clements, Natural England.

By Kevin Clements, West Midlands Area Delivery Team The project The Jack Snipe is probably our most elusive and least understood bird. But a Natural England project aims to change that. It’s a small and secretive bird which, arguably, a …

Study launched into relationship between people and nature

Posted by: and , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Connecting People with Nature, Environmental Improvement Plan, Evidence, Green Infrastructure, Monitoring, Natural England, Nature, Parks, trails and nature reserves, Wildlife
Buttercups in Devon. © Ruth Lamont, Natural England.

By Ruth Lamont, Principal Officer in Research Ethics, Knowledge into Practice, Chief Scientist’s Directorate, Natural England Started in 2022, the RENEW project, led by the University of Exeter and funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, is a five-year programme …

The North can be a powerhouse for Nature and growth

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Development, Green Infrastructure, Growth, Natural Capital, Natural England, Nature Recovery
Marian Spain speaking at Convention of the North, with host Anita Rani

"Nature is vital to our economy our health and our security. The North has the natural assets that can help create the places people want to live, work and invest in and that will keep them happy and healthy, as …

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 …

Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier: Supporting farmers and land managers to deliver nature friendly farming

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Farming, Natural England
A landscape view with flowers in the foreground, a group of cows in the middle distance, and a hill with a wooded area in the distance.

By Peter Craven, Head of Agriculture  At Natural England, we know that farming and nature can thrive together, and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) is here to help make that happen. Whether you're already working towards a more sustainable farm or …

Beaver wild release: a milestone for nature recovery in England

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Climate change, Flood Management, Licensing, Natural England, Nature Recovery, Nature-based solutions, Wildlife
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. …

How new technologies are helping us monitor one of England’s largest grey seal colonies 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Evidence, Mapping, Marine environment, Monitoring, Natural Capital, Natural England, Nature, NCEA, Science and evidence, Seals
A seal and its pup on Horsey Beach. Image: Natural England

By Gabriella Fasoli and Nick Tomline (AI specialists), Emma Milner (marine mammal specialist) and Elizabeth Mitchell (engagement), all on the marine Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (mNCEA) programme Documenting Norfolk's biggest beach party On a windy day in December, something …

Harnessing Nature-based Solutions to help combat flooding

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Flood Management, Natural England, Nature, Nature Recovery, Nature-based solutions
Two images: on the left is a drone, and on the right is the drone control with data the drone is capturing on a screen

As climate change brings more frequent and severe flooding, innovative solutions are emerging to tackle these challenges. Working with nature, not against it, Natural England is proposing schemes to help tackle flooding in Norfolk and Suffolk.   Projects in our region …

How can Nature-Based Solutions address the climate and Nature crises?

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Climate change, Marine environment, Natural Capital, Natural England, Nature, Nature Recovery, Nature Returns, Nature-based solutions, Peat, Protected sites and species

Keynote speech by Tony Juniper CBE, Chair of Natural England, at Nature Returns conference, 6 February 2025 It is an absolute pleasure to be here today and to see this latest journey in what has been a decades-long process of …