Working with nature across the government estate

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: 30by30, Biodiversity net gain, Environmental Improvement Plan, Land use, Landuse Framework, Local Nature Recovery Strategies, National Parks, Nature, Protected Landscapes, Tree planting, Woodland management
An aerial view of Lamberhurst Green Bridge (A21) Credit: National Highways

Restoring nature across the government estate – and beyond  During London Climate Action Week, Defra published the Government Estate Nature Plan (GENP), the first plan of its kind globally, setting out how nature will be restored across government-owned land in England.  In this …

Rooted in place: how the West Midlands Nature Investment Hub is connecting investment with nature 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Farming, Food, Nature, Water

Place matters. Restoring nature, effective planning, decisions about land use, managing catchments – all depend on local factors. To successfully deliver our outcomes and make a real difference to people, Defra must operate effectively locally. This is crucial for everything we do – …

Supporting England’s peat: new grants for water management, wetter farming and restoration capacity 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Climate change, Environmental Improvement Plan, Farming, Food, Land use, Landuse Framework, Peat, Water
An aerial view of a paludiculture trial site (Credit: Lancashire Wildlife Trust)

My name is Anika Dowling, and I am a policy advisor in Defra’s Peat team. In this blog I’ll set out what each new scheme offers and how you can apply.  In the Environmental Improvement Plan, we announced our new Peatland Programme for 2026 to 2030. This month, we’ve launched …

Laying the groundwork for the Nature Restoration Fund

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: 30by30, Environmental Improvement Plan, Green finance, Nature, Planning
Wildflowers in front of a development of new homes

The Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) is a landmark reform to the way housing and infrastructure developers meet their environmental responsibilities.   Yesterday, 18 June 2026, two sets of secondary legislation were laid before Parliament.    This is an important step towards putting the fund into practice, …

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.