Celebrating the launch of our first National River Walk – join our webinars on how to apply to deliver our next four river walks 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Access and engagement, National River Walks, Nature
A tree-lined path along a river

Rivers are at the heart of many of our towns, cities and countryside landscapes. They shape the places we live, support wildlife, and offer people somewhere to walk, wheel, cycle, volunteer, spend time with family, and connect with nature close to home.  …

Biodiversity Net Gain for NSIPs: gain statements laid and guidance published 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity net gain, Land use
image of a wildflower meadow with poppies and daisies

We have reached a significant milestone in implementing Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs).  Earlier this week the final biodiversity gain statements were formally laid in Parliament and are now available on GOV.UK. These statements are central to applying BNG to the NSIP regime and accompany the two statutory instruments in …

Unlocking England's nature markets: a further step forward for investment in the environment

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Green finance, Nature

I'm Will Lockhart, Deputy Director for Nature Markets and Investment at Defra. In March, I wrote about how we're encouraging more private investment in nature recovery in England – including making it easier for businesses to pay for the benefits nature provides, and launching new, world-leading nature investment …

The Wildlife-Rich Habitat Fund: Bringing even more buzz to Protected Landscapes 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: National Parks, Nature, Protected Landscapes, Wildlife

The new Wildlife-Rich Habitat Fund (WRHF) is now live. It’s a new pot of money - £30 million - to create wildlife-rich habitats in National Parks and National Landscapes in England.   Read this guest post by Chair of the Protected Landscapes Partnership Mary-Ann Ochota to find out more.

Investing in England's peatlands: introducing the Peatland Restoration Sector Capacity Grant

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Climate change, Nature, Peat

Peatlands have a vital role to play in helping us meet our net zero targets, but to restore them at the scale we need, we first need to grow the sector that does that work.  That's what today's announcement is designed to do.

Digital waste tracking: What is it and why it matters 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Recycling, Resources and waste, Sustainability
A low level shot of a telehandler collecting recycling to put into a lorry for transportation

Waste crime is not new, but in recent years it has escalated into a more sophisticated, costly and damaging criminal enterprise. It costs the economy an estimated £1 billion every year, blights our communities, and causes serious harm to the environment. From vast illegal dumps to fraudulent disposal records, …

Biodiversity Net Gain: what's changing and what it means for you

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity net gain, Land use
nature rich pond near housing development.

Over the past two years, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) has started to change the way development and nature work together, and we’ve learned a huge amount from local authorities, developers and ecologists along the way. Last week, we published a set of updates that strengthen and streamline how BNG operates across the planning system. Read …

From the Border Mires to Bodmin Moor: restoring England's most vital landscapes 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Peat

Today, I’m pleased to announce we’re extending the scheme for a further year until April 2027 – so existing projects from the North York Moors to the Somerset Levels can continue to deliver valuable work on the ground. Read this post to delve in further.

Wild Again: A new chapter for England's species

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Forestry, Marine, Nature, Wild Again, Wildlife

The Government has set statutory targets to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030 and to reduce species extinction risk by 2042 against 2022 levels, as set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan. That’s why the Government has made a record investment in nature. In this post, we’ll talk you through the recent news and campaign for species recovery.