Nature Returns addresses the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss by building the evidence around nature-based solutions (NbS) through scientific research and collaboration. The programme aims to understand how biodiverse habitats can both capture and store carbon and help us to...| Natural England - Access to Evidence
Crown copyright and database rights – Ordnance Survey AC0000851168. Terms and conditions: i) You are granted a non-exclusive, royalty free, revocable licence solely to view the Licensed Data for non-commercial purposes for the period during Natural England make it available; ii) You are not permitted to copy, sub-licence, distribute, sell or otherwise make available the Licensed Data to third parties in any form; and iii) Third party rights to enforce the terms of this licence shall be rese...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Haycock and Jay Associates Ltd was commissioned by Natural England in 2022 to undertake a National Vegetation Classification (NVC) survey of the coastline from Reighton Gap to Martin’s Gill near Filey on the east coast of Yorkshire to investigate the potential for its inclusion within a Site of...| Natural England - Access to Evidence
This report explores the state of fungus recording in the UK, focusing on data collection, verification, and sharing processes. Fungi are essential components of ecosystems, and the UK supports globally threatened species and internationally important assemblages of fungi. However, their conservation is hindered by incomplete, inaccessible, and inconsistently verified data. The recording landscape includes multiple national recording schemes, local groups and online platforms. Issues of dupli...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Evidence gaps remain on the occurrence of bats in the offshore environment and their potential interactions with renewable developments. Through a desk-based literature review, a review of existing data sets, and engagement with international projects through two online workshops this study presents cutting edge data and best practice. Based on the data, Nathusius’ pipistrelle are the most commonly recorded species offshore and are considered a regular migrant to the British Isles. Surveys ...| Natural England Access to Evidence
This report provides the results of a terrestrial invertebrate survey of the DHL-owned East Tilbury landfill site to inform Natural England’s proposal to enlarge the Mucking Flats and Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), notified (in part) for its invertebrate interest. This survey compartment comprises a large unit of land and is located a short distance west of Coalhouse Fort. The survey targeted Species Assemblage Types (SATs) F111 ‘bare sand and chalk’ and F112 ‘ope...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Reversing the loss of nature and reducing the build-up of atmospheric carbon dioxide are often addressed through parallel and sometimes separate policy and delivery mechanisms. However, they are deeply interconnected. Healthy ecosystems, particularly peatlands, woodlands, wetlands and saltmarshes, act as major carbon stores. When degraded peatlands, in particular become net carbon emitters. Restoration and habitat creation can therefore be a crucial part of climate mitigation strategies, whil...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Excess atmospheric nitrogen poses a major threat to biodiversity across the UK, particularly through nitrogen deposition and associated eutrophication and acidification. These pressures alter ecosystem structure and function, affecting species composition, particularly in sensitive habitats. While the impacts of nitrogen on plant communities are well established, less is known about the consequences for higher trophic levels. In 2022, Natural England hosted two PhD placements through the ACCE...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Excess atmospheric nitrogen and other air pollutants pose a major threat to biodiversity in the UK, with substantial evidence linking nitrogen deposition to adverse ecological effects such as altered plant communities. While impacts on flora are well understood, the direct and indirect effects of air pollution on terrestrial invertebrates remain under-researched. In 2022, Natural England hosted two PhD placements through the ACCE Doctoral Training Partnership to conduct rapid reviews of the c...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Protected Site Strategies (PSS) involves bringing together a variety of relevant stakeholders to look beyond site boundaries at the wider environmental issues that may be impacting these protected sites. The PSS Advisory Guidance walks through the key steps of How to do a PSS, based on lessons learned from the pilot projects during the PSS learning and development programme, and expertise from various Consultants. The core Guidance is supported by the Green Finance toolkit and Green Commerce ...| Natural England Access to Evidence
The 2025 Weed Control Handbook: Guidance for Herbicide Use on Nature Conservation Sites has been updated from the 2002 Herbicide Handbook and is a designed resource for nature conservation site managers, contractors, and landowners. It offers general guidance on control methods, including use of herbicides to manage problem species and weeds that threaten habitats, such as Special Sites of Scientific Interest (SSSIs), and nature reserves. The handbook provides information each step in managin...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Biodiversity loss and Climate change are closely inter-linked problems and need to be tackled in an integrated way. England’s habitats still hold vast carbon stores in their vegetation and soils, which need protection, to avoid releasing this carbon back into the atmosphere. With the update to the evidence in our Carbon Storage and Sequestration by Habitat 2021 (NERR094), & the subsequent Nature Returns Project filling some of the evidence gaps, this report and accompany data set, is the se...| Natural England Access to Evidence
This report is the Method Statement for Version 2.2 of the England Green Infrastructure Mapping Database. The report details the methodological approaches taken in developing the content of the mapping database and records all the decisions built into the mapping with respect to such matters as typological inclusions, parameters and thresholds used to process the source data etc. The report deals with all the content that has been directly created by Natural England in the development of the ...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Threatened Species Recovery Actions (TSRA) is a partnership species action-planning project (2023-25) focusing on England’s threatened species and is key to the delivery of the 2042 Extinction Risk target in The Environmental Targets (Biodiversity) (England) Regulations 2023. The project identifies which species are most in need of recovery in England today and the specific actions required to progress their recovery. In so doing, it aims to inform species conservation priorities nationally...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Recent research findings suggest that perceived health and wellbeing benefits derived from exposure to nature are greater for those spending 120 minutes or more in nature each week all year around. This research piece used data from the Adult’s People and Nature Survey (A-PaNS) to explore the proportion of English respondents who might be spending enough time in nature to receive greater health benefits. The results could feed into the “G7” indicator of Defra’s 25 Year Environment Pla...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Diffuse Water Pollution from Agriculture (DWPA) is a significant pressure impacting protected sites. The ecological condition of the River Wye is deteriorating, in part due to DWPA. The intensification of agriculture in the form of Intensive Poultry Units (IPUs) and high levels of legacy phosphorus in the catchment’s soils have been receiving significant scrutiny. Where site conservation water quality targets are being exceeded (this is the case for the River Lugg currently), it is necessar...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Seabirds are under threat worldwide from a variety of pressures both on land and at sea. Food availability is often an important driver of seabird survival and productivity. Large amounts of offal are discarded by the fishing industry in the North Sea, with many seabirds already making use of this fisheries waste as part of their diet, targeted offal provisioning has been suggested as a means of bolstering specific seabird populations most affected by human activities. To identify species mos...| Natural England Access to Evidence
This report presents the outcomes from a Phase I and Phase II intertidal survey of the Duddon Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The Duddon Estuary is a component of the Morecambe Bay Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The work was commissioned by Natural England and undertaken by specialist contractors ABPmer. The survey provides a description of the sedimentary intertidal habitat on the Duddon Estuary and an indicative assessment of its ecological condition. Eight biotopes...| Natural England Access to Evidence
This study evaluates environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling methodologies for monitoring the great crested newt (Triturus cristatus) within Natural England’s District Level Licensing (DLL) scheme areas. Building on previous research, the project compares ethanol precipitation and filtration-based eDNA collection methods, and assesses the utility of DNA metabarcoding alongside species-specific quantitative PCR (qPCR). Ninety ponds across three DLL scheme areas in England were sampled using both m...| Natural England Access to Evidence
As a nature and environmental asset providing ecosystem services, the Government in its 25-Year Environmental Plan for ‘securing clean, healthy, productive, and biologically diverse seas and oceans’, has seagrass beds as a priority habitat under section 41 of NERC Act 2006, with a legal duty to conserve and enhance such habitats. The aims of this report are to consider and assess the outcomes of the ReMEDIES project by ‘Action D1’, using the best available evidence from a baseline ...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Reducing and Mitigating Erosion and Disturbance Impacts Effecting the Seabed (ReMEDIES) was a five-year (2019-2024), EU LIFE funded project, carried out in five Special Areas of Conservation within England. The project partnership, led by Natural England, implemented a variety of restoration and protection measures e.g. Voluntary No Anchor Zones. A deliverable of the project is the collection and dissemination of lessons learnt. This Technical Information Note collates the licences and associ...| Natural England Access to Evidence
West Penwith Moors and Downs Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) was notified in 2022 and covers an area of approximately 3,044 ha. Within the SSSI are eleven valley fen (mire) features, fed largely, but not exclusively, by groundwater from the shallow granite aquifer. This project aims to develop a groundwater monitoring strategy to assess the spatial and temporal variations in groundwater quality across the valley fen features. A desk study focused on the identification of existing p...| Natural England Access to Evidence
A condition assessment was conducted for the River Camel Valley and Tributaries SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) to determine the current ecological status of the SSSI. The SSSI was assessed against published UK attributes and targets (Common Standards Monitoring Guidance for Rivers) (CSMG) which identify the standards required for river special interests to be considered in favourable condition. The SSSI was assessed on the rivers and streams feature (SSSI) which encompasses severa...| Natural England Access to Evidence
A condition assessment was conducted for the River Axe Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) to determine the ecological status of the SSSI. The SSSI was assessed against published UK attributes and targets (Common Standards Monitoring Guidance for Rivers) (CSMG) which identify the standards required for river special interests to be considered in favourable condition. The River Axe SSSI was assessed on the rivers and streams feature which encompasses several attributes including flow, w...| Natural England Access to Evidence
The long-term legally binding Environment Act habitat target as described in the Statutory Instrument ‘The Environmental Targets (Biodiversity) (England) Regulations 2023’ is: To restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of a range of wildlife-rich habitats outside of protected sites by 31 December 2042. This report explains the methodology for arriving at an accurate metric for reporting progress towards the target. This report sets out the data sources used, and analysis conducted in...| Natural England Access to Evidence
This social science commissioned report explores the potential for a social accountability approach to accelerate nature recovery in the UK context. It explores how far elements of this already exist within nature recovery approaches and what can be built on. Social accountability refers to ways that the public and civil society organisations can hold authorities and responsible parties accountable for their actions through social participation, engagement and mobilisation. Under the right co...| Natural England Access to Evidence
The England Peat Map is a set of map layers describing the extent, depth and condition of England’s peat resources. It was created primarily to support delivery of the 2021 England Peat Action Plan and is useful across a range of other policy and delivery activities. The map layers were created using machine learning and deep learning modelling techniques, trained with pre-existing survey data collated from Defra organisations and other stakeholders, as well as new survey data collected by ...| Natural England Access to Evidence
The Arun Valley (West Sussex) is seen as one of the most biodiverse areas in the United Kingdom, containing communities of both nationally and internationally important flora and fauna, along with numerous areas of priority habitat; including low-lying grazing marsh, peat, raised bog and floodplain wetland. The presence of varied geology and water supply to areas within the Arun Valley has resulted in notable differences to the chemical status of the water and has led to the development of a ...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Pulborough Brooks Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), in West Sussex, comprises of a series of wet meadows on the floodplain of the River Arun. Pulborough Brooks SSSI is subject to winter and occasional summer flooding but has been dissected by a series of drainage ditches, which help to support a rich aquatic flora and invertebrate fauna. Pulborough Brooks SSSI is owned and managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and is noted for outstanding importance for bre...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Amberley Wild Brooks Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), in West Sussex, comprises of an area of extensive alluvial grazing marsh, historically dissected for drainage purposes. The variability in water chemistry on site, influenced by the underlying geology has led to the development of a remarkable flora community and at the time of designation, supported over 150 flowering plant species. Amberley Wild Brooks SSSI is also noted for supporting valuable populations of breeding and over...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Background Natural England has a statutory duty to act for the benefit of SSSIs, including those on Dartmoor, and to take reasonable steps to further the conservation and enhancement of the SSSIs (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and subsequent amending legislation). Natural England is evidence-led and uses evidence to inform decisions concerning the management of SSSIs. To do this, Natural England – and stakeholders involved in land management – need access to the best available evidenc...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Seabed rock protection deposited by energy infrastructure in sandbank Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) poses a significant problem, contributing to the unfavourable condition of several Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). This issue has led to the need for government derogations for various offshore wind projects and has spurred a large-scale strategic habitat compensation programme. Additionally, it plays a crucial role in determining the locations of offshore wind farms. However, there remai...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Peatlands are important habitats for nature and ecosystem services, and Natural England has a statutory role to work alongside a range of stakeholders to ensure their sustainable management in England. Managed burning of upland peatlands is common in the UK and its compatibility with habitat restoration and function is the subject of continuing debate. This review updates a previous review (NEER004, 2013) carried out as part of a wider Review of Upland Evidence. New available evidence from 10...| Natural England Access to Evidence
This document sets out Natural England’s view on favourable conservation status for Blanket bog in England. Favourable conservation status is the minimum threshold at which we can be confident that the habitat, and its associated species, are thriving in England and are expected to continue to thrive sustainably in the future. This definition has been produced following the Natural England approach to defining favourable conservation status described in the guidance document Defining Favour...| Natural England Access to Evidence
This document sets out Natural England’s view on favourable conservation status for heathland in England. Favourable conservation status is the minimum threshold at which we can be confident that the habitat, and its associated species, are thriving in England and are expected to continue to thrive sustainably in the future. This definition has been produced following the Natural England approach to defining favourable conservation status described in the guidance document Defining Favourab...| Natural England Access to Evidence
England’s peatlands cover an estimated 1.2 million Hectares. Their restoration is essential in the fight to restore nature and reduce the impacts of the climate crisis. This report sets out using the best evidence available, the likely amounts of greenhouse gases being released from the different types of land uses found on England’s Peatlands. Peatlands offer an effective way to deliver Nature Based Solutions to restore nature, reduce carbon emissions and support the recovery of our wate...| Natural England Access to Evidence
The EU LIFE ReMEDIES ‘Reducing and Mitigating Erosion and Disturbance Impacts affecting the Seabed’ (LIFE 18 NAT/UK/000039) project took place from 2019 – 2024. It aimed to change the behaviour of recreational boaters and reduce recreational pressures on seagrass habitats in five Special Areas of Conservation: Essex Estuaries; Solent Maritime; Plymouth Sound and Estuaries; Falmouth & Helford; Isles of Scilly. Natural England commissioned an evaluation to try to understand the extent to ...| Natural England Access to Evidence
This Commissioned Report “Considerations for the use of Electric Fencing in Beaver Mitigation” is to inform best practice guidance, in relation to the use of electric fencing as a beaver mitigation technique. Some processes will be associated with licenceable activity (eg, release/translocation) and some not. This report also provides a source of referenced evidence for current best practice and recommendations for assessing efficacy and welfare implications to inform future best practice...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Beavers are ecosystem engineers that provide ecosystem services to humans and wildlife. They were once native to Britain, until humans hunted them to extinction around 400 years ago. In the last three decades, Eurasian beavers have returned to Britain. Some stakeholders are celebrating their return due to beavers’ ecological benefits. Others are concerned about how any negative beaver impacts will be managed and whether management techniques are effective. In response to these concerns, Nat...| Natural England Access to Evidence
The LIFE Recreation ReMEDIES: ‘Reducing and Mitigating Erosion and Disturbance Impacts affecting the Seabed’ project (LIFE 18 NAT/UK/000039) ran from July 2019 to October 2024 with the aim to improve the condition of seagrass beds and maerl in five Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). One component of the project was to help reduce recreational pressures by encouraging recreational boaters to change their behaviour. Natural England commissioned an evaluation to try to understand the exte...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Mob grazing describes the keeping of large numbers of grazing animals on small areas of pasture and moving them frequently. The grazed land has a long rest period before the grazing animals are returned. This mimics the natural system of large herds in the wild that graze and trample the ground before moving on. This management tool is used infrequently in England but is thought that the practice may deliver benefits not only to the farmer but also the environment and historic assets. Through...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Conventional agricultural cultivation practices, e.g. ploughing and deep tillage, pose a threat to buried archaeological sites and earthworks, resulting in damage as well as increased soil erosion and loss (Spandl and others, 2010). However, agricultural technologies, have developed significantly in the last 20 years (since 2002), especially with the increasing use of Global Positioning Systems, minimum tillage systems and shift to more regenerative cultivation-methods as well as paludicultur...| Natural England Access to Evidence
The New Forest is one of Europe’s premier nature conservation sites, renowned for its vast scale, diversity and quality of habitats shaped by centuries of human interaction. A Special Area of Conservation (SAC), it covers some 29,000ha (hectares), supporting a complex mosaic of habitats formerly common in lowland western Europe but now rare and fragmented—these include extensive wet and dry heaths; valley mires; wet and dry grasslands; ancient pasture and enclosed woodland; rivers and str...| Natural England Access to Evidence
This Technical Information Note sets out the recommended metadata to be provided when submitting DNA derived data to Natural England (where Natural England is not the commissioner) to allow a judgement of confidence to be made in the data, and helps the data to be used appropriately. Understanding how a sample has been taken, stored, extracted, amplified, sequenced and the bioinformatics processes that have been used, allows the data user to make a judgement of confidence in the data and ther...| Natural England Access to Evidence
The majority of Natural England’s work is in a place, ranging from agri-environment schemes, through landscape scale delivery projects, to statutory responsibilities within the planning system. The evaluation of place-based environmental interventions is challenging. Spatially, no one project is similar to another, even if the overarching intervention is the same. Temporally, environmental interventions can take many years to demonstrate impact. These challenges can make it difficult to app...| Natural England Access to Evidence
A tool for collecting the required land management data is currently under development. Land Management data will be collected from Site Managers and will include temporal and spatial information as well as the management type and quantitative data related to the management. More details will be made available in due course. In the meantime, if you have any specific queries please email the LTMN mailbox: LTMN@naturalengland.org.uk. This page is part of Natural England’s Long Term Monitoring...| Natural England Access to Evidence
To assist in the research and evidence gathering of Natural England’s review of ‘wild take’ licensing, Dialogue Matters were commissioned to design, develop, facilitate, and provide reports of discussions from two multi stakeholder workshops with organisations who were interested in or potentially impacted by future licensing decisions for wild take. Representatives from all organisations that responded to Natural England’s public call for evidence were invited to attend the workshops...| Natural England Access to Evidence
This report provides a summary of responses to the public call for evidence undertaken by Natural England in 2022 as part of its review of ‘wild take’ licensing, a practice involving the taking of birds of prey from the wild for use in falconry and aviculture. The call used an online questionnaire survey design with both qualitative and quantitative elements and encouraged respondents to submit evidence to support their views. Topics and questions were developed with input from stakeholde...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Out of 37 LTMN sites, 32 have one or more UKBMS transects associated with them. The methodology used for this protocol can be found on the UKBMS website. Data are submitted to UKBMS by the site staff and volunteers who collect the data. LTMN butterfly data are requested annually from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), who manage the UKBMS database, and are reproduced here. Name of downloadable recordDescription of data in the record UKBMS transects on LTMN sites, October 2023A lis...| Natural England Access to Evidence
This report analyses 11 semi-structured interviews with falconers and interested members of the public who also responded to the public call for evidence undertaken by Natural England in 2022 as part its review of ‘wild take’ licensing. The report covers similar issues to those in the call for evidence but enables interviewees to provide greater detail and depth, as well as cover other issues participants perceived pertinent to the review. Most falconer interviewees had little personal in...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Natural England (NE) is responsible for determining licence applications to take native birds of prey from the wild (‘wild take’) in England for use in falconry and aviculture. In early 2022, with the support of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), NE launched a review to inform the development of a specific Defra wild take licensing policy based on the latest evidence, expert advice, and in-depth stakeholder insights from across the falconry and non-falconry comm...| Natural England Access to Evidence
Executive Summary 1. The overarching ambition of the Defra 25 Year Environmental Plan is to ‘leave our environment in a better state than we found it and to pass on to the next generation a natural environment protected and enhanced for the future’ (Defra 2018a). The plan highlights six key...| Natural England - Access to Evidence
