By Patrick Shannon-Hughes, Environmental Quality for Nature Senior Officer (Agri Chemicals) We’re pleased to release the updated Weed Control Handbook: Guidance for Herbicide Use on Nature Conservation Sites - a long-awaited refresh of the 2002 Herbicide Handbook. This new edition …| Natural England
By John Holmes, Director of Strategy On 5 September, Defra announced strengthened legislation on burning on peat. The new legislation came into force this week, with the new burning season commencing on Wednesday. We welcome the strengthened legislation which will …| Natural England
Acting for nature recovery at scale Defra and Natural England invested £7.4 million to initiate twelve landscape-scale Nature Recovery Projects (NRPs) across the country, over the three years of the Comprehensive Spending Review 2022/23-2024/25. Covering over 319,480ha, these projects were …| Natural England
By Matthew Heard, National Delivery Director Numbers of nesting hen harriers in England have risen slightly this year, according to data collected by Natural England and partners. Breeding figures and regional breakdown In 2025, Natural England and partners recorded a …| Natural England
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) …| Natural England
Updated (3 October 2025) By Sallie Bailey, Natural England’s Chief Scientist This year we have witnessed wildfires ravaging England’s uplands and heaths on a historic scale, with prolonged hot and dry weather providing the ideal conditions for blazes lasting weeks. …| Natural England
From today, eligible farmers, foresters and land managers who’ve received pre-application advice and completed any necessary preparatory works will be invited, on a rolling basis, to apply for Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) online.| defrafarming.blog.gov.uk
The badger cull strategy, based on the results of the 1998 – 2005 Randomised Badger Control Trial (RBCT), put the wheels in motion for the widespread killing of badgers that has occurred over the last decade. Pushed by Defra and the NFU as the best way to control Bovine TB – a disease now widely […]| Protect the Wild
“Following a thorough review, it has become clear that Natural England is no longer in a position to provide the long-term funding and resource needed to continue delivering the Hen Harrier Southern Reintroduction project, despite the progress to date. The difficult decision has therefore been made to conclude this project.”…| Protect the Wild
Proposals for the route of the England Coast Path on the Isle of Wight look set to avoid some of the best bits of coast. We are dismayed that Natural England’s proposed route for the England Coast Path (ECP) on the Isle of Wight veers inland when it reaches the Osborne and Barton estates between… The post Osborne frustrates coastal path appeared first on Open Spaces Society.| Open Spaces Society
By Sofía Muñoz, Senior Officer, Hen Harrier Southern Reintroduction Background The Hen Harrier Southern Reintroduction Project was set up in 2018 with the aim of establishing a wild, farmland-nesting population of hen harriers (Circus cyaneus) in southern England. The hen …| Natural England
By Susanna Phillips, Principal Officer – Chief Scientist Directorate, Natural England Research published recently in the Journal of Applied Ecology highlighted the positive impact that agri-environment schemes can have on butterflies. Agri-environment schemes are a key environmental policy mechanism in …| Natural England
Natural England welcomes the Government’s commitment to reform the planning system in such a way that it delivers sustainable development while unlocking new and more joined-up opportunities for nature’s recovery. Bradley Tooze, Strategy Director at Natural England, outlines Natural England’s …| Natural England
By Helen Kirkby, NE Deputy Director for Cumbria Last night in Brisbane, the Cumbrian River Restoration Partnership Programme didn't win the Thiess International Riverprize, but reaching the final alongside projects from Chicago, Albania and the western USA represents something extraordinary …| Natural England
By Alisa Swanson, Natural England Creating new woody habitats, whether woodlands, scrub, wood pasture, wooded meadows or wet woodlands, can play a vital role in reversing biodiversity loss and building climate resilience across England’s landscapes. Natural England’s ambition is to …| naturalengland.blog.gov.uk
By Vicky Ward, Tees Estuary Nature Recovery Partnership Project Manager It is a bright summer’s morning, as I walk through a striking landscape of contrasts. Through the passing juggernauts and across the brine fields to my right, an abundance of …| naturalengland.blog.gov.uk
By James Phillips - Principal Officer – Species Recovery and Species Re-introductions and Karen Shelley-Jones - Senior Officer – Funding and Grant Scheme Management England’s species charm, intrigue, amaze and inspire us, sparking interest and concern in the natural world. …| naturalengland.blog.gov.uk
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 …| naturalengland.blog.gov.uk
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 …| naturalengland.blog.gov.uk
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 …| naturalengland.blog.gov.uk
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 …| naturalengland.blog.gov.uk
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 …| naturalengland.blog.gov.uk
Upper Calderdale Wildlife Group says the situation with Natural England is hopeless following Defra’s recent rejection of Natural England’s recommendation to set legally binding, strong targets for improving conditions at Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The quango’s ability to protect … Continue reading →| Upper Calder Valley Plain Speaker
Ban the Burn is underwhelmed by Defra’s 29th January press release about proposed legislation to prevent the burning of heather and other vegetation on protected blanket bog habitats. The UK government has been forced to legislate after it was clobbered … Continue reading →| Upper Calder Valley Plain Speaker
In October 2020, Ban the Burn made a formal complaint to Natural England about their failure to investigate 8 examples of Walshaw Moor Estate’s burning of sphagnum and apparently unconsented infrastructure construction that we’d first reported in June 2019, and … Continue reading →| Upper Calder Valley Plain Speaker
Natural England is to investigate a grouse-shooting estate’s recent burning of sphagnum moss and apparently unconsented construction of infrastructure on the highly-protected Natura 2000 site of Walshaw Moor, above Hebden Bridge. | Upper Calder Valley Plain Speaker
Protected Sites Strategies (PSS) ‘the next big thing’ to come out of the Environment Act 2021? We discuss how the thinking & approach are developing ahead of the guidance & what part local authorities can play.| Planning Advisory Service
