Natural England

Assessing the Health of the River Wye Catchment: An Update

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Evidence, Favourable Conservation Status, Monitoring, Natural England, Nature Recovery, Protected sites and species, Site of Special Scientific Interest
Pristine reach near Aymenstry. The river here is connected to its floodplain and displays classic “run-riffle-pool” habitats.

By Emma Johnson, Midlands Deputy Director, Natural England Natural England has completed a detailed condition assessment of the River Lugg SSSI, part of the nationally protected River Wye catchment. This blog sets out the findings of that assessment, explaining the …

Celebrating the Nature and Archaeology Near You

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Archaeology, Coast and access, Connecting People with Nature, Landscape, Landscapes and access, National Nature Reserve, Natural England, Nature Recovery
Wooded Bronze Age barrow at the entrance to Ravensburgh Castle hillfort at Hexton in the North Chilterns. Credit: Ian Marshman.

By Ian Marshman, Senior Officer - Historic Environment National Delivery at Natural England.  In this blog, Ian Marshman reflects on An Evening With Natural England’s Archaeologists held on 24th June and looks forward to this summer’s Festival of Archaeology. This year …

What Natural England is doing next to protect Dartmoor Ponies

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Farming, Grazing, Natural England, Nature, Protected sites and species, Site of Special Scientific Interest, wildlife and farming
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In recent weeks, Dartmoor's iconic ponies have been at the centre of significant media attention and public debate. We want to use this blog to set out clearly what has been reported, what is happening in reality, and what we …

Natural England response to Badger Trust and Wild Justice judicial review decision

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Natural England, Nature
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The High Court has on 26 June 2026, dismissed the judicial review claim brought by Wild Justice and the Badger Trust, finding no unlawfulness in Natural England’s decision-making.  The Court declined to grant the declaration sought by the claimants, noting …

West Midlands Swift Academy – Connecting People and Swifts in Urban Spaces 

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Biodiversity, Birds, Connecting People with Nature, Education, Natural England, Nature, Species recovery, Wildlife
Close up photo of a small light brown bird in flight against a blurred gray background.

By Chloe Hardman, Senior Project Manager, West Midlands Area Team   In this blog, Chloe Hardman discusses swifts, and the amazing work being done to protect them within communities in the Midlands. When was the last time an animal made you …

Unlocking the geography of health and deprivation: two enhanced analytical tools launch today

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Connecting People with Nature, Evidence, Green Infrastructure, Mapping, Natural England, Nature
Image shows a neighbourhood that has implemented good GI. A green park with a pathway runs through it, a clear blue sky hangs overhead. The trees and grass are lush and vibrant

By Sarah Hammonds, Urban Greening Senior Officer This blog discusses the launch of two new tools: the Index of Multiple Environmental Deprivation (IMED) and the Environmental Equity Index (EEI). Built collaboratively over 18 months, they map environmental pressures and health …

Creating new wood pasture: What we’ve learned from Nature Returns

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Climate change, Ecosystem Services, Natural England, Nature Returns, Nature-based solutions, Science and evidence, wildlife and farming
Wood pasture illustration of veteran and other open grown trees, decay habitats, scrub and structurally diverse open areas grazed by large herbivores. Reproduced from the Creation of Wood Pasture Systems Toolkit (National Trust, 2023) with permission of the National Trust. Credit: National Trust/Richard Allen.

By Jessica Elias, Natural England Nature-based Solutions are increasingly recognised as an effective way to respond to climate change while restoring nature and improving people’s wellbeing. Through the Nature Returns programme, we’ve had the opportunity to see how one approach …

Grazing on Dartmoor – Setting the record straight on Natural England's role

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Grazing, Natural England, Nature, wildlife and farming
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This blog was updated on 16th June Recent media coverage has suggested that Natural England has recommended a cull of ponies on Dartmoor. This is categorically not true, nor is it true to suggest any scheme has been designed with …

Growing Green: How England's Cities are Putting Nature at the Heart of Development

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Climate change, Connecting People with Nature, Development, Green Infrastructure, Natural England, Nature, Nature-based solutions, Parks, trails and nature reserves
A group of 10 people (mixed gender) stand together smiling outside of an old building with trees and shrubs.

By Nicola Brown, Senior Officer, Green Infrastructure  This blog explores the amazing green infrastructure work being done across the UK and Europe to ensure that our towns and cities are resilient enough to cope with the effects of climate change. …

Nature and Growth - Reflections from UKREiiF

Posted by: , Posted on: - Categories: Development, Environmental Delivery Plan, Natural England, Nature, Nature Restoration Fund, Planning, Wildlife
A man and 4 women sit on individual armchairs on a stage, each with a microphone, engaged in a panel discussion in front of an audience.

By Marian Spain, CEO of Natural England In this blog, our Chief Executive Marian Spain reflects on her recent attendance at the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum and discusses the major role that nature plays in growth and …