Healthy Outdoors: Strengthening the Evidence for Nature Based Health Interventions 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Connecting People with Nature, Environmental Improvement Plan, Mental health and wellbeing, Natural England, Nature, Parks, trails and nature reserves, Wildlife
4 female volunteers in high vis carrying bags of garden waste.

By Dave Bell, Principal Officer: Health & the Environment, Natural England  As studies continue to show the profound benefits of nature and outdoor activity for public health, the Healthy Outdoors guide has been created to address a critical evidence gap: the need for …

How Biodiversity Net Gain helps people and places thrive

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Biodiversity Net Gain, Development, Growth, Mental health and wellbeing, Natural England, Nature, Wildlife
Volunteer in wellies and winter outdoor gear on the bank of a river, climbing away from the river.

By Greg Shaw, Senior Officer – Biodiversity Net Gain (Strategic Solutions and Biodiversity Net Gain Team). Across England, many communities face depleted green spaces and health inequalities. Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) can offer a clear link between development, wellbeing and …

Growing stronger together: community action for nature

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Connecting People with Nature, Development, Education, Green Infrastructure, Mental health and wellbeing, Natural England, Nature, Parks, trails and nature reserves, Wildlife
Children in school uniforms help with planting outside of a school. An adult and child are kneeling in the foreground, digging at the base of a young tree, while another child stands with a watering can.

By David Drake, Director for People and Nature, Natural England The Nature Towns and Cities Partnership established by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the National Trust and Natural England, brings together organisations across the UK with a shared vision for …

Celebrating five years of the People and Nature Surveys: What we’ve learned about England’s love for the outdoors 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Connecting People with Nature, Countryside Code, Mental health and wellbeing, Natural England, Nature, Parks, trails and nature reserves

By Sheldon Allen, Project Manager, Natural England’s People and Nature Survey Team  Nature and happiness – what's the connection?  What makes you feel happy? For most people in England, it’s time spent outdoors. Our People and Nature Survey for England (PaNS) …

Nature Towns and Cities Programme: Transforming Urban Landscapes for People and Planet 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Connecting People with Nature, Development, Green Infrastructure, Growth, Mental health and wellbeing, Natural England, Nature, Nature-based solutions
Two children, one boy and one girl, wearing gardening gloves and reaching into a garden bed with interest.

By Oliver Harmar, Chief Strategy Officer Creating a Legacy of Thriving Urban Nature  With today’s start of the Nature Towns and Cities programme, I'm filled with optimism.  This isn’t just another initiative, it’s a game-changer for how we think about nature …

Supporting Wellbeing and Nature’s Recovery – learning from the 7th Nature Connections Conference

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Connecting People with Nature, Education, Green Infrastructure, Mental health and wellbeing, Natural England, Nature, Nature Recovery, Parks, trails and nature reserves, Wildlife
Image of Electric Daisy, an outdoor events space with a covered canopy and lots of plants around the seating.

Human health and nature are deeply interconnected.  However, many people do not feel a strong connection to nature in their day-to-day lives. Strengthening our connection to nature can address shared challenges such as health and wellbeing, drive nature’s recovery and …

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 …

BNG lessons learned with Local Planning Authorities

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Biodiversity Net Gain, Biodiversity Net Gain – Hints and Tips, Development, Green Infrastructure, Licensing, Mental health and wellbeing, Natural England, Nature Recovery Network
Image shows a few newly built houses at a development site in Thakeham. A pond is at the forefront of the image with green grassy land around it and lots of vegetation, allowing for nature to thrive. A beautiful clear blue sky hangs overhead.

By Ruth Andreyeva, Director of Land, Water and Seas strategy Biodiversity net gain (BNG) became mandatory in England earlier in 2024, after many years of collaboration across industry and the public sector. We celebrate this milestone wholeheartedly, but we’re not …