24 hour 'bioblitz' at one of England's newest National Nature Reserves

By Karen Faux - Local Nature Recovery Senior at Natural England In July, over 50 Natural England staff and partners came together for a 24 hour species recording event (or ‘bioblitz’) on the recently declared North Kent Woods and Downs …

Nurturing Cumbria's Hidden Gem: East of Eden Nature Recovery Project

By Katharine Milnes, East of Eden Nature Recovery Project Senior Advisor A Landscape of Contrasts Venture east of the M6, away from Cumbria's famous Lake District mountains, and you'll discover Cumbria's own Eden. Here, the wide, fertile valley of the …

Crayfish clawing their way back in Nottinghamshire: A conservation success story in the making

Bare hand holding a crayfish above a blue bucket.

By Danielle Greaves, Higher Officer - Species Reintroduction and Recovery, Natural England Hidden beneath the surface of Nottinghamshire's rivers and streams lives an increasingly rare species – the white-clawed crayfish. As the UK's only native freshwater crayfish, these creatures play …

Unearthing the Past to Restore Our Future: The Role of Palaeontology in Nature Recovery

By Joshua Smith, NE Senior Specialist Palaeontologist Fossils represent evidence of past life stored in the sequence of rocks below our feet. Like the pages of a book, England's rock record tells the story of changing continents, climates and environments …

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

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 …

Ringing in nature's return: Derby celebrates swift migration with 'Bells for Birds' initiative 

Swift in flight against a blue sky backdrop.

By Jo Birch, Senior Officer, Inclusion & Connecting People with Nature, East Midlands Area Team  The joyous sound of church bells rings out across Derby, not to mark the hour or call the congregation to worship, but to celebrate a …

Nature for Health: Greening Healthcare Sites for People and Wildlife

© Kate Mainprice (Natural England)

By Lucy Prescott, Health and Nature Senior Officer Restoring nature goes beyond protecting wildlife and increasing biodiversity. It is also about rebuilding everyday connections between people and the natural world. To achieve this, we must broaden our partnerships and engage …

The power of DNA: using innovation for nature’s recovery

A Natural England adviser taking a water sample from a pond to monitor DNA

By Andrew Nisbet, Natural England's Deputy Director for Monitoring Natural England is at the forefront of introducing innovative technologies into biodiversity monitoring. Environmental DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the DNA that can be obtained from an environmental sample such as water, …

We're better together - the Bollin to Mersey Nature Recovery Partnership

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Natural England, Nature, Nature Recovery, Nature Recovery Network, Wildlife
Orchids are blooming in a wet meadow in Chorlton. © D Barlow, Manchester City Council

What is the Bollin to Mersey Nature Recovery Partnership? It seems at first glance that the contrast between the Southern part of Greater Manchester and the Northern part of its neighbouring county Cheshire, is massive. Urban versus rural, grey rather …

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

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 …