_**By Matt Heard, National Delivery Director**_ * * * _Hen Harriers are one of the UK’s most distinctive birds of prey and, after decades of decline, have gradually returned to northern England as their population has recovered. Natural England and its partners are working to support this recovery through the Joint Action Plan, helping to balance conservation with wider land management priorities. Annual monitoring shows a long-term positive trend, with efforts focused on tracking breeding success across England. This blog gives the latest figures for 2026._ * * * Numbers of nesting Hen Harriers in England increased in 2026, according to data collected by Natural England, RSPB and partners. _Hen Harrier in the air_ Hen Harriers are a charismatic yet elusive bird of prey species, at home on upland moorland landscapes in the UK. Once reduced to just a few isolated pockets, Hen Harriers have spread from Scotland and returned to the north of England as their numbers have gradually recovered over the past few decades. Conflicting land management priorities have slowed their recovery, but Natural England and partners have been working to secure their future in England through cooperation under the Joint action plan to increase the English hen harrier population, which was published by Defra in 2016. Securing a future for the Hen Harrier in England is one of the ways in which Natural England is working to deliver our latest strategy: Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security, strengthening the resilience of England's ecosystems and the services they provide through the protection and recovery of key ecosystem components, including species like the Hen Harrier. #### **Monitoring the recovery of** **hen harriers in England** As part of the Joint Action Plan, Natural England and partners including the RSPB and raptor monitoring groups collect data on the number of breeding Hen Harriers each year, and, where possible, the number of chicks that successfully fledge each year. It is unlikely that all the breeding Hen Harriers in England are counted, but great effort is made to work with landowners and managers to ensure as many as possible are added to the records to give the best estimate each year. While the data collected by Natural England and partners does not always show an increase on the preceding year, the overall trend of the species' population has shown much growth on a longer timescale, in both number and distribution. Previous annual reporting on the national population, published by Natural England, can be seen here: 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022. #### **Breeding figures and regional breakdown** In 2026, Natural England, RSPB and partners recorded a total of 45 breeding attempts in England (39 in 2025), of which 33 were successful (33 in 2025), fledging 112 chicks (106 in 2025). This gives an average of 3.4 chicks per successful nest (3.2 in 2025). _Table to show Hen Harrier breeding records in England from 1986 to 2026_ We recorded 1 second breeding attempt in 2026. Therefore, it is estimated that there was a minimum of 44 breeding females in England (39 in 2025). #### **Trends in Hen Harrier numbers** The overall figures show a steady increase in breeding attempts by Hen Harriers over the past 2 years, following a crash in 2024. Anecdotal observations by field staff reported an increase in the availability of prey items (including voles) in 2026, which is likely to have contributed to this increase. However, this was not the case in all areas and a number of factors will also have played an influential role. Annual population fluctuations are to be expected for any species of wild animal, but while the national population remains so small the ability for a population to recover from a decline is significantly reduced. This highlights the need for continued effort to increase the number of Hen Harriers in England and improve their resilience to bounce back from poorer breeding years, which can result from variables such as prey and habitat availability, which may in turn be affected by land management regimes and a changing climate. This year only 9 of the 45 recorded breeding attempts were made on moors managed for grouse in England, with the remainder across other moorland and water catchment locations (including but not limited to nature reserves). The relatively small number of breeding attempts on grouse moors could be due to the reduced monitoring of grouse moors in 2026 in comparison to previous years. Our monitoring team would welcome the opportunity to work with more moorland owners and agree access and monitoring agreements, with the aim of getting a more complete picture of Hen Harrier numbers. #### **Working with partners is key** We are grateful for the efforts of our partners to monitor, protect and manage Hen Harrier nests and breeding habitats. We work closely with RSPB staff who record the nesting attempts on RSPB reserves, and on the United Utilities Estate in Bowland. We are also grateful for the contributions of volunteer Raptor Study Groups and Natural England volunteers to nest monitoring, and to landowners and agencies including Forestry England, National Parks, National Landscapes, the National Trust, NatureScot and Natural Resources Wales. Natural England field staff lead on liaison with privately-owned grouse shooting estates, and we extend our gratitude to those land managers who are encouraging Hen Harriers to nest successfully alongside their wider estate management for grouse and other wildlife. 2026 marks 30 years of consolidated data for Hen Harrier breeding activity in England. Natural England is committed to recovering nature, and the Hen Harrier is one example of how long-term dedication can have real meaningful impact for species and landscapes. We are committed to continue to work with all partners and communities to improve the long-term recovery of Hen Harriers.

**_Reflections from Neil Hornby, Chief Executive of Natural England_ ** Neil Hornby. Credit: Natural England. * * * _In this blog, Neil Hornby marks their first day as Chief Executive of Natural England with a visit to Kent to see how housing development and nature recovery can work hand in hand. Reflecting on a new Operational Statement that lets Natural England focus its planning advice where it matters most, and on early progress through the Nature Restoration Fund and the Norfolk Environmental Delivery Plan, Neil sets out a vision for an organisation that is ambitious for nature, pragmatic in its approach, and genuinely collaborative with developers, farmers and communities alike._ * * * I wanted my first day as Chief Executive of Natural England to begin not behind a desk, but out on the ground with colleagues and partners. So today I will visit Kent to meet with Barratt Redrow and see their Conningbrook development – where I will see first-hand how homes, infrastructure and nature recovery can be planned and delivered together. I will also visit a partner’s environmental works, to look at how mitigation for nutrient pollution can be developed. As Chief Executive, I want Natural England to be ambitious in its efforts to recover nature and be straightforward in the way it works: an organisation that protects and restores nature, uses the best available science and evidence, listens to its customers and partners and delivers effectively. I don’t want us to just be known for identifying environmental risks and issues, but for helping people find solutions that are a win-win for nature and people. I know I am stepping into a critically important role at a vital time. As we face the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change - in one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world - our work to recover nature and improve access to it has never been more important or more urgent. Too much of the wildlife that inspired my love of nature as a child has been lost and too many people have become disconnected from the natural world. And that’s why I am committed to this important task. At Conningbrook, I will see a growing community alongside a 3.2 hectare nutrient mitigation wetland. The site is a practical example of development working with nature: early engagement from both the developer and our teams, a clear understanding of environmental pressures and partnership working have helped create space for new homes, green space and addressed impacts on the internationally important Stodmarsh wetland site. **A clear purpose and a focused way of working** That is the approach I want us to build on. Today, Natural England are also publishing a new Operational Statement allowing us to prioritise our planning advice more strategically to have the greatest impact for nature and people. This follows recent changes in the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025. Previously, Natural England was required to provide advice on every request relating to development under the Town and Country Planning Act. This meant specialist expertise was spread across a high volume of consultations, including routine cases where established guidance already existed. The amended duty brings our role more closely in line with other statutory consultees. In practice, this means engaging earlier with local authorities in developing plans and strategic solutions, providing clearer standing advice, standard guidance and evidence for routine or lower-risk proposals, and reserving bespoke input for the most complex cases and those presenting the greatest risks or opportunities for nature. This approach is intended to provide greater certainty and consistency for local planning authorities and developers while ensuring specialist advice is focused where it can add the greatest value for nature and people. Statutory consultation requirements remain unchanged, as do the protections for important habitats, species and designated sites. We will continue to fulfil our legal responsibilities and provide responses where planning and environmental legislation requires it. The new approach will be carefully introduced through a phased approach with partners. **From site-by-site mitigation to work at scale** This focus on strategic engagement and larger scale solutions is already reflected in our work on the Nature Restoration Fund, where developers can make a levy payment towards a coordinated programme of conservation measures, rather than commissioning fragmented mitigation site by site. Our first draft Environmental Delivery Plan for Norfolk, published for consultation in the last fortnight, builds on our previous work on providing strategic solutions to tackle the impacts of pollution and support the recovery of protected species. The first plan is intended to help unlock up to 15,780 homes while raising more than £30 million for large-scale improvements to rivers and wetlands, including the Norfolk Broads. We welcome your feedback on this plan as we seek to roll out this important scheme. **My vision for Natural England** Natural England’s core purpose - to achieve nature recovery - is clear and non-negotiable. I’m clear that our strategy, Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security, provides the blueprint for the outcomes we seek and how we will achieve them. We must deliver successful nature recovery at scale and across all parts of our country. This will mean developing new approaches and building strong partnerships to ensure that nature’s essential contribution to our economy, health and national security is fully valued. I want to be relentlessly focused on how Natural England can deliver for nature in a way that is customer focused, collaborative and pragmatic. That means making our advice timely and practical, setting expectations clearly and focusing our expertise where it can achieve the greatest impact. And it means Natural England working in genuine partnership with infrastructure developers, housebuilders, farmers, land managers, businesses, local authorities and communities to deliver shared objectives on growth, clean energy, food security, health and nature recovery together. Over the coming weeks and months, I look forward to hearing from colleagues, customers and partners about our work together and to exploring opportunities to do more to deliver for people and nature.

_**By Marian Spain, CEO of Natural England**_ * * * _In this blog, Marian Spain reflects on Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) as a golden thread through her time as Chief Executive of Natural England. Highlighting Dearne Valley Wetlands, West Penwith Moors and Downs, and Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast, Marian shows how SSSIs have evolved from academic curiosities into the backbone of nature recovery, and argues that successful designation depends on partnership, communication and trust with the landowners and communities who care for these special places._ * * * As I prepare to leave Natural England after 8 years as Chief Executive, I have been reflecting on the themes that have run consistently through my career in nature conservation. One of those is protecting our most special places and most precious wildlife and geology, including by designating Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). One of the first things I did when I became CEO was designate the Down Farm SSSI and I’m delighted then that one of the last things I have done is agree a new programme of sites being considered for designation in the next 3 years, together with a new approach to working with our stakeholders as we consider these. We’ll be publishing that on GOV.UK very soon. SSSIs are among the most powerful tools we have to recognise and protect the very best of England's wildlife, habitats and geology, and we don’t undertake them lightly: they have a big impact (including sometimes restricting what a landowner can and can’t do) and need a very high level of scientific and legal proof to merit such significant protection. Currently we have 4,128, making up 8% of England’s land area. They celebrate places that are nationally important for nature, while helping to secure the benefits that healthy natural systems provide to society. They protect some of our most precious species and habitats and geology as the very best of a wide range of landscapes and seascapes in cities, countryside and the coast. And they also help deliver cleaner rivers, healthier soils, carbon storage, flood resilience and opportunities for people to experience nature close to home. SSSIs are and have always been about much more than just designation to protect wildlife and habitats. They represent our nation’s commitment to recognising what is special, understanding why it matters, and ensuring it can thrive for future generations. Historically, they were often viewed primarily as representative examples for academic study. Increasingly, we now recognise them as the foundations of nature recovery. They are the places where our most valuable wildlife and habitats persist and they are also the places from which nature can recover and spread across wider landscapes. They are the backbone of nature recovery, the reservoirs of biodiversity that help reconnect fragmented habitats and support thriving ecosystems for the future. Natural England is now taking a renewed approach to SSSI designation. We have strengthened the way we make decisions, improved planning and prioritisation, reconsidered the tasks and the resources to carry out designation projects, including spending enough time with those affected and those who will benefit to explain what will happen and why. That means we have also developed a more certain and more strategic programme for future designations. We are prioritising sites based on their contribution to nature recovery, the protection of vulnerable habitats and species, and the wider benefits they provide for society, with a programme phased to bring forward those which are closest to being able to be delivered, allowing us to focus on embedding our new ways of working. During my time as Chief Executive, I have been proud to see important places be designated to protect and conserve the wildlife and habitats that call these places home. In South Yorkshire, the notification of Dearne Valley Wetlands as a new SSSI, recognised a remarkable landscape where nature has flourished alongside the legacy of industrial change. Its nationally important bird populations and wetland habitats demonstrate how nature recovery can transform places, delivering benefits not only for wildlife but also for local communities through access to nature and flood resilience. In Cornwall, the confirmation of West Penwith Moors and Downs as a SSSI protected more than 3,000 hectares of nationally important habitats and species. The designation recognised not only the extraordinary wildlife of the area but also the centuries of farming and land management that helped shape its distinctive character. During my time at Natural England, the importance of protecting the wildlife and geology interest of Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast SSSI has also become a powerful example of how we must navigate the relationship between nature recovery and development. Its story illustrates one of the defining challenges of how we recover nature while also meeting society's need for homes, infrastructure and economic growth. Too often these objectives are presented as opposing choices. England needs new homes, new infrastructure and new investment. But we also need thriving wildlife, resilient ecosystems and access to nature. The challenge is not whether we choose nature or development, but how we plan, design and invest so that both can succeed, sites such as Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast, reinforce the importance of identifying opportunities where sustainable development can proceed while contributing positively to nature recovery. SSSIs don’t stop economic activity happening – be that farming, development or natural resource use, but they make sure that for these very special places nature is given a “seat at the table” when decisions are made about land use. One of the most important lessons I have learned throughout my career is that nature recovery is not something that can be delivered to people. It is something that must be achieved with people. The success of any SSSI ultimately depends on the people who own, manage and care for the land. Farmers, commoners, landowners, conservation organisations and local communities are not simply stakeholders in these places; they are central to their future. That is why I am particularly pleased that Natural England's renewed approach to SSSI designation places such emphasis on partnership, communication and engagement. Alongside strengthening our internal processes, we have recognised the importance of working more closely with landowners and local communities from the outset, ensuring that people understand both the reasons for designation and the opportunities that can follow from it, as well as whether it will mean any limits on how land is managed in the future. We want designation to be something that is developed with people, and that landowners can be proud of, not something that feels as though it is being done to them. Sometimes designation discussions can create uncertainty and concern. People understandably want to know what designation means for their businesses, their communities and the places they care about. We have learned that clear communication, transparency and early engagement are essential. Listening to concerns, explaining the evidence, and working through challenges together leads to better outcomes for everyone. Recent experience has highlighted both the strength of feeling people have for the landscapes they manage and the importance of maintaining an open and constructive dialogue throughout the designation process. Those experiences have helped shape our future approach, placing greater emphasis on communication, stakeholder engagement and long-term relationships with those who manage these special places. The most effective conservation does not happen when change is perceived as something being imposed. It happens when people share an understanding of what makes a place special, why it matters, and how protecting and enhancing it can benefit both nature and society. That is what Natural England is committed to do, in our mission of building partnerships for nature’s recovery. And as our strategy says, recovering nature - including by making sure wildlife is thriving in protected sites - in ways that support growth, health and security. Natural England CEO, Marian Spain. Credit: Natural England.

_**By Marian Spain, CEO of Natural England**_ * * * _In this blog, Marian Spain reflects on Landscape Recovery, the ambitious agri-environment scheme uniting farmers, NGOs and investors across whole landscapes for 20-year commitments. Highlighting projects like Upper Duddon, Boothby and Evenlode, Marian shows how nature restoration and farm resilience combine to deliver food security, climate benefits and thriving rural communities._ * * * I started my career on the very first agri-environment schemes, working with farmers in East Anglia to agree the small, practical changes that could bring nature back to their land. I spent years having those conversations, and what struck me most was how many farmers wanted to see more wildlife on their land. That is still important to many farmers, but I am also increasingly struck by how many farmers now see nature as a vital part of their business. Better soil health, more pollinators, shade from trees, more water and wetlands all help make farms more resilient and so contribute to food security, and the security of individual businesses. The importance of that connection between farming and nature has never left me. It's why, as I look back over my career, I feel such pride that it now includes the development of the most ambitious agri-environment scheme we've ever attempted: Landscape Recovery. **Landscape Recovery is built on a simple idea:** that nature and farm resilience are two sides of the same coin. It asks farmers, landowners and their partners to think bigger, working across whole landscapes rather than single fields, and to commit for the long term, for 20 years or more, so that changes can take root across a generation rather than a single business cycle. It also asks projects to bring in private finance alongside public funding, and to build real partnerships with the communities who live and work in these landscapes. In doing so, it answers a call made over a decade ago by Sir John Lawton for habitats that are bigger, better, and more joined up. None of this happens through one organisation alone. Landscape Recovery is a genuinely joint endeavour, delivered with Defra, the Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission and of course with all of the partners - farmers, local authorities, environmental NGOs, National Parks and National Landscapes - involved in the projects, and I want to thank everyone who has helped shape this scheme from the ground up. #### **Real progress, on the ground takes time – but the outcomes for the nation are huge** I know that Landscape Recovery can sometimes seem slow to develop – from initial ideas to things happening on the ground takes 2-3 years. Developing a project of this scale, across multiple landholdings, with farmers, tenants, environmental organisations and private investors all working towards a shared plan, does takes time. And a lot of hard work from all involved. It has to. We're asking projects to build something robust enough to last two decades and deliver genuine value for public money, and that means getting the foundations right before work starts. #### **Results are coming through** Since the first round opened in 2022, 56 projects have come through our two pilot rounds developing proposals across more than 250,000 ha. This has involved over 1,000 farmers and land managers who have taken part in developing this scheme alongside environmental NGOs, academics and private finance partners. Three projects are now delivering for nature across c6,700ha, and more will be underway before the year is out, which together could mean a total of more than 20,000 ha in delivery contributing to nature recovery, climate resilience and farm sustainability. **One of those is the Upper Duddon Landscape Recovery Project in South-West Cumbria** which began delivery in July 2025 across roughly 2,800 hectares of upland farming country. Led by the University of Leeds, it brings tenant farmers, landowners and environmental partners together to protect fell farming traditions while restoring the River Duddon and its tributaries, improving water quality, reducing flood risk downstream, and creating jobs and volunteering opportunities for the local community. I recently had the pleasure of celebrating this milestone with the Duddon team, and I heard two things from the farmers I met: “ _The valley is coming back to life_ ” - more jobs, more people, more activity, more nature; and “ _the scheme gives us a future_ ” - the certainty of 20 years income means farmers and their successors can be confident to keep investing in their business and their family’s livelihoods. That, for me, captures exactly what this scheme is about. Marian Spain and Tony Juniper at the river Duddon as part of restoration works. Credit: Josh Snape/Natural England. **Alongside Duddon, the Boothby Landscape Recovery Project** is an ambitious nature recovery and river restoration project in Lincolnshire, led by Nattergal covering over 600 hectares of land**.** The project combines public and private investment to deliver long-term biodiversity recovery, carbon storage and flood resilience and is now well into implementation, signing its agreement in June 2025. **The Evenlode Landscape Recovery Project** , is a farmer-led landscape restoration initiative across the Evenlode catchment in the Cotswolds, aiming to improve river health, biodiversity, flood resilience and sustainable farming across more than 3,000 hectares. It is led by the North East Cotswold Farmer Cluster CIC (NECFC) and involves over 50 farmers and land managers working collaboratively to deliver long-term environmental recovery. I'm delighted to see it progressing alongside our other pioneering projects. #### **What we're learning from Landscape Recovery** For farmers considering their own path, the principles behind LR translate directly into farm-level benefits: restoring native habitats brings back pollinators and natural pest control, healthier soils support better yields, and re-meandering rivers or restoring wetlands can keep nutrients on your land and reduce flood risk. Entering an LR project also means working with your neighbours, with a local project manager to manage the scheme on behalf of everybody (and help with the paperwork!) and with people who understand your local landscape and who tailor the project to it. You will also be contributing for the nation to ensure food security, climate resilience and more nature for everybody’s wellbeing. #### **Thank you to all our partners** As Chief Executive, I have the responsibility of signing off each LR grant agreement, and I don't take that lightly. Every signature represents years of work by landowners, tenants, communities and partners to agree a shared vision and proof it can deliver. To everyone who took part in rounds one and two, the farmers and tenant farmers, environmental NGOs, academics, private finance partners and more, thank you. Your patience and ambition are spearheading and building something genuinely new for the benefit of your land and communities. Let's continue to drive this ambition forward. #### **Find out more:** Find out more about Landscape Recovery and its ongoing projects by searching "Landscape Recovery" on the Defra Farming Blog. View Landscape Recovery project video highlighting benefits to well-being: Boothby volunteer video: Volunteering for Wellbeing | Fin's story

**_By Stephanie Bird-Halton, Director - National Delivery at Natural England_ ** * * * _The 2025/26 Annual Monitoring Report for Natural England’s District Level Licensing (DLL) for great crested newts has just been published. This blog explores the successes so far and shows that the scheme is creating high_ _quality habitat for great crested newts, while giving developers more certainty and speeding up planning decisions. Through the scheme more than 51,500 new homes and more than 15,000 hectares of developments have been enabled and over 4,747 compensation_ _ponds created or restored. Overall, it proves that development and nature recovery can successfully work hand-in-hand._ * * * In England great crested newts, known for their striking orange and black spotted bellies and the male's wavy crest along his back, are very important in our pond landscape. In the last century, though, there has been a sharp decline in the species mainly due to pond loss and intensive agriculture. Great crested newt populations are estimated to have declined by more than 40% since the start of the 20th century, while around two-thirds of ponds have been lost from our landscapes. This has led to great crested newts being protected, with environmental regulations put in place to support their long-term future. To enable developers to more efficiently and effectively meet these regulations and to facilitate nature recovery across entire landscapes, District Level Licensing (DLL) for great crested newts was launched. We have now published the 2025/26 Annual Monitoring Report for Natural England DLL and it demonstrates that the scheme continues to support nature recovery while giving developers greater certainty and helping local planning authorities (LPAs) progress planning applications more quickly. DLL for great crested newts provides an alternative to the traditional sitebysite approach. Instead of surveying and protecting newts on site, developers can offset the evidence based predicted harm of their development by funding the creation of new ponds in places where newts are most likely to thrive, and the monitoring and maintenance of these for 25 years. General information about the  Natural England DLL scheme The scheme aims to: * create more high‑quality habitat and support thriving newt populations * provide a more efficient and cost-effective licensing system for developers * provide a more efficient and effective licensing system for LPAs This Annual Monitoring Report sets out the outcomes of Natural England's DLL scheme for 2025 to 2026 and highlights key achievements since launch. Its findings are consistent with the first five-year evaluation report, published in early 2026. For more information on these results read our blog post: The First Five-Year Evaluations of Strategic Licensing for Great Crested Newts. #### High‑quality habitat for newts By 31 July 2026 4,611 compensation ponds had been created or restored through DLL. That’s 967,000 square meters of pond habit, with terrestrial habitat made available to newts by the ponds. The Annual Monitoring Report showed that: * 4,497 compensation ponds have been delivered since launch of the scheme to 31 March 2026 * this is an increase of 681 ponds delivered since the last Annual Monitoring Report 2024/25 * 75% of ponds surveyed in 2025 were high quality for great crested newts * the scheme has delivered a net increase of over 1,170 ponds across licensed developments (6 compensation ponds provided for every one occupied pond lost) * when developments with a signed certificate (those not yet licensed but committed to using the scheme) are included, the projected total net increase is 3,035 ponds * over 38% of ponds have been used by great crested newts at least once in the last five survey years (an increase since the previous reports) * there has been a net increase of 571 ponds used by great crested newts (when taking into account ponds used by newts that have been lost to development) * in just the 2025 survey season, 39% of ponds were used by great crested newts Great crested newts use networks of ponds and the expectation of DLL is not for all compensation ponds to be used by newts at the same time. Some scheme areas are less than five years old and ponds have fewer than five-years monitoring data. We look forward to seeing outcomes of the scheme as the survey data grows. #### Habitat delivery partners recall success Under DLL, developer compensation includes the monitoring and maintenance of ponds for 25 years by our Habitat Delivery Body partners, including Wildlife Trusts and Farming & Wildlife Advisory Groups (FWAGs). Ponds which are restored under DLL must be completely unsuitable for great crested newts in their current condition, meeting criteria to ensure additional habitat is delivered. Jilly McNaughton of FWAG East said: > _“A highlight of the past year has been watching a ghost pond in Essex bounce back to life. We returned this spring to find a pond reanimated; teaming with invertebrate life and with swallows diving for mud and water._ > > _“At least ten species of aquatic plants had germinated from the old seedbank. Great crested newts have already been recorded in a nearby pond we restored (in autumn 2023) – it’s now only a matter of time until they rediscover the ghost pond we’ve put back for them!”_ You can watch a video about the restoration of this ghost pond and the pond revisited this year. _The Essex ghost pond being restored in 2024 (top) and established with plants, important for great crested newts and other wildlife, in 2026 (bottom). © FWAG East, 2024/2026_ #### Developer demand for strategic approaches continues Customer demand for DLL continues, with: * 1,257 licences issued under Natural England’s DLL since launch to 31 March 2026 * of which 252 licences were issued in 2025/26 * 77% of individual developments that enquire to DLL go onto sign the Impact Assessment and Conservation Payment Certificate (IACPC), demonstrating a commitment to using the scheme. #### A successful approach for nature and growth The Annual Monitoring Report 2025/26 shows that District Level Licensing is working for nature and development. Thousands of new and restored ponds and habitats are providing vital spaces for great crested newts and other wildlife across the landscape.

_**By Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England**_ * * * _In this blog, Natural England’s chair reflects on a recent site visit to a Suffolk port, from where he sailed out to see an offshore wind farm as well as a novel installation to help one of the North Sea’s iconic species. Here where industry and wildlife must coexist in a rapidly changing environment, positive opportunities for nature can still be achieved alongside achieving UK energy security, provided regulators and developers work closely together towards a mutual goal of ‘low carbon, high nature’ development._ * * * The North Sea is one of the busiest and most pressured areas of ocean in the world. Surrounded by a number of developed countries it has for centuries been subject to fishing pressures, the effects of land-based pollution, infrastructure development and now climate change. The flip side of those pressures are a series of benefits which have sustained many of England’s communities for a correspondingly long time, ranging from trade, food, construction materials and energy supplies. In modern times the big question is how to sustain that flow of benefits while protecting and restoring the health of that marine system, including its huge range of coastal and marine wildlife. Key to finding answers is good planning and collaborative working, and not least in relation to fast-growing demand for clean electricity. The UK is now embarked on a clean power revolution. It needs to move at speed and at scale, so that we can play our part in getting to zero carbon emissions by mid-century, and ideally sooner if we possibly can. This is going to require investment, infrastructure, skills, complex supply chains, logistics and joined-up delivery. Nowhere is this combination more evident than at the port like Lowestoft. Recently a declining fishing port town on the Suffolk coast, it is now at the forefront of the offshore energy revolution. The port itself, owned by Associated British Ports (ABP), has recently expanded with the £35 million of investment to create the Eastern Energy Facility (LEEF): an increasingly vital hub for enabling both the construction and ongoing maintenance of offshore windfarms, such as the four East Anglia installations in operation or under construction by ScottishPower Renewables (SPR). _Turbines at the East Anglia ONE offshore wind farm. © ScottishPower Renewables_ Natural England is working with these developers and many others to help ensure that infrastructure such as new port developments and offshore windfarms can progress, generating with it local jobs and opportunity, whilst at the same time protecting wildlife while giving the space it needs to adapt to in a fast-changing world. Offshore wind is an absolutely critical component of the Government's aim to decarbonise the energy sector by 2030. This forms part of the Government's Clean Power 2030 Action Plan which recognises the need to integrate clean power and the natural environment to tackle the climate and Nature crises. Similarly, in Natural England’s new Strategy, we set out how recovering Nature will be a vital pillar to help deliver the infrastructure that the country needs - and that includes our precious marine environment. #### **Protecting marine life** I visited Lowestoft to hear directly from ABP and SPR about their work, and how we at Natural England can help them do it while looking after our precious marine environment. Fraser Murdoch, Head of Consent Compliance at ScottishPower Renewables, said: > _“Our East Anglia projects aren’t just about delivering more vital clean, green electricity – they also mean billions of pounds in investment to support thousands of jobs and hundreds of companies across the supply chain, boosting energy security and helping deliver the energy transition._ > > _“We pride ourselves on working responsibly, and sensitively and fostering open dialogue with stakeholders like Natural England, from the very earliest stages of project development through to construction, operation and beyond. All that ensures that windfarms and wildlife can happily co-exist - so we can all benefit from a cleaner and greener future.”_ As we headed out on a port pilot's vessel from the calm waters of the port into the choppier seas offshore, I thought about how challenging the construction of ever-larger windfarms - sometimes hundreds of square kilometres in size – must be. The scale of the engineering is mind-boggling, requiring purpose-built specialised ports to deliver turbine pieces, construction materials and personnel out to one of the hardest working environments on the earth. Ports are recognised as a foundational industry and invest significantly to facilitate supporting the Government’s mission in making the UK a green energy superpower. LEEF provides exceptional demonstration of investment in state-of-the-art port infrastructure delivering deep water berths, operational storage space and additionally is future proofed to support alternative fuels and shore-power. #### **Supporting seabirds** As this complex logistical task has been planned, developers have also taken on the goals for the protection of the natural environment. One major challenge here, as it is elsewhere, is the impact on seabirds. Developers have invested with Natural England advice into a range of initiatives, including the removal of rodents from offshore islands that host seabird breeding colonies. By removing rats from these places, which take eggs and chicks of birds, some significant ecological benefit can be secured, helping to address potential impacts associated with offshore wind development. Another measure being deployed is the construction of artificial nesting structures. _Ørsted's Artificial Nesting Structure near Lowestoft, designed to provide nesting habitat for kittiwakes as part of the Hornsea Three Offshore Wind Farm. © Natural England_ The kittiwake is a graceful pelagic gull and is now a bird of global conservation concern, having experienced significant declines in recent decades. This species specialises in feeding on sand eels, a silvery shoaling fish that is struggling to survive in a warmer North Sea. Offshore windfarms are an important element of tackling those warming seas but also have the potential to result in impacts on kittiwake should birds collide with the turning blades. Ironically, some kittiwakes have found unlikely homes on oil and gas structures. As these ageing structures are decommissioned over the coming years, this means a potential shortage of nesting habitat for the species, putting pressure on other colonies. This is where offshore wind developers such as SPR, RWE and Ørsted come in, all of whom have installed nesting structures on the quayside or a short distance offshore to provide additional nesting spaces. These may also reduce the pressure on coastal towns like Lowestoft, where, despite being loved by many residents, nesting kittiwakes are not always the easiest (or quietest!) of neighbours. It’s early days for these innovative schemes, but the nearshore structures installed by Ørsted have already attracted nesting pairs, and it was uplifting to see a few nests amongst the decoys placed to attract birds in. Benj Sykes, UK Chair, Ørsted, said: > _"Delivering clean power at the scale the UK requires will depend on strong partnerships between industry, government and nature conservation organisations. Working with Natural England and others, initiatives such as our Artificial Nesting Structures show how collaboration and innovation can support nature recovery alongside the responsible growth of offshore wind."_ Those first pairs and their young may be far out in the north Atlantic by now, facing even more challenging conditions than those faced by developers. In parallel with this step, Natural England's advice has separately led to the closure of the North Sea sand eel fishery. This will be of great importance to birds - including kittiwakes, puffins, guillemots and gannets - while also helping the recovery of commercial fish species, such as cod and whiting, which also eat them. #### **Nature recovery** Returning to port, I mused on the progress being made but also the considerable challenges that remain in managing the vast but increasingly busy marine environment to ensure its benefits continue to flow. As our demands on the sea space increases, there is a pressing need for spatial planning in the marine environment that brings interested parties and the latest environmental evidence together to make the complex decisions about what should go where, and which activities are compatible with each other – including nature recovery. To assist those conversations, Natural England’s ground-breaking Poseidon project is generating the evidence needed to help identify the least environmentally sensitive locations for offshore windfarms, factoring in our seabed habitats, marine mammals as well as our seabird populations. #### **Collaboration is key** We are also working with Defra and other stakeholders to make it easier for developers to deliver environmental compensation measures for their unavoidable impacts, through the Marine Recovery Fund which will deliver strategic, targeted environmental improvements on their behalf. We also hope our Rescue project will make a major contribution to reducing collision impacts by developing a more precise understanding of seabird flight heights, reducing the need for compensation in the first place. Industry is already innovating by engineering structures with blades higher off the sea surface, and Natural England will be providing world-class scientific evidence to assist those designs. _Partners on the site visit. Pictured from left to right: Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England; Kathleen Covill, Principal Manager at Natural England; Grant Douglas, Head of Planning and Environmental Policy at ScottishPower Renewables; David White, Principal Manager for Norfolk and Suffolk at Natural England;_ _Fraser Murdoch, Head of Consent Compliance at ScottishPower Renewables; Tom Duit, Operations and Commercial Manager at ABP. © Natural England_ All this activity is hard-wired into Natural England’s Approach to Offshore Wind, which we intend to update and improve in the coming months, to ensure we are doing as much as we can to help progress ‘low carbon, high nature’ developments. Tim Morris, Group Head of Corporate Communications for Associated British Ports (ABP) said: > _“The Port has been transformed into a leading hub for offshore energy in the Southern North Sea, delivering hundreds of high quality jobs for Lowestoft and the surrounding area as well as supporting energy security and sustainable resilience for the UK as a whole. ABP is committed to developing its ports in ways that deliver both for economic growth and nature. We’re demonstrating that ports can deliver regional prosperity while restoring habitats and improving biodiversity. Partnership drives better outcomes. Regional growth and nature recovery succeed fastest when business and regulators work side‑by‑side, sharing evidence, expertise and long‑term goals.”_ As I departed Lowestoft, I was reminded of the social context for all of this. This is England's most easterly town and has always relied on the sea for its economic wellbeing, yet during recent times has, like the huge fish stocks that once sustained it, been in decline. Today Lowestoft has high levels of social deprivation and is in urgent need of regeneration. The offshore wind industry and its associated port modernisation is an important source of that, already bringing billions of pounds of investment through the town, creating hundreds of good jobs and bringing indirect benefits via hotels, restaurants, pubs, taxis and more. It is this that drives our work at Natural England, seeking to recover Nature for growth, health and security. There is still much for us all to do, but I left Lowestoft convinced that there was a sustainable future for the North Sea, its communities and wildlife, provided we work together to achieve it.

_**By Oliver Harmar, Natural England's Chief Strategy Officer**_ * * * _This blog explains how climate change is affecting England, with a focus on drought and wildfire, while suggesting the actions that we can take to restore the natural landscapes that protect us and increase our climate resilience._ * * * _North Solent National Nature Reserve. © Natural England/Heidi Staines_ Drought in England has of course always posed serious challenges for people and the natural world. What's changing is how often we face it. This year alone the England will have experienced an exceptionally wet winter followed by a long, hot summer bringing about our third drought in five years and the driest July in almost two centuries. As climate change makes droughts more frequent and severe, the question is no longer just how we respond to the crisis in the moment, but how we adapt for the longer term, as a society, to live in a more unpredictable climate. It means building landscapes that are naturally more resilient, so they can withstand drought better, recover more quickly afterwards, and reduce the associated risks: wildfire, water shortages, crop loss and biodiversity decline. Nature itself holds many of the answers. #### **A growing and connected risk** Climate change is driving more frequent droughts and higher wildfire risk, with growing impacts on people, nature and water security. These are not separate challenges. Dry landscapes are fire-prone landscapes, and the two must increasingly be treated as connected risks, requiring cross-sector partnership working to support land managers on the ground. The scale of what's at stake is significant. For example, In England, 65% of our drinking water comes from surface water such as lakes and rivers, much of it starting out in our upland areas. It means tackling the problem is priority work, for people and nature. #### **What we're seeing on the ground** Across our National Nature Reserves, drought is affecting water availability in ways that cascade through our landscapes and ecosystems. Ponds, rivers, dykes and wetlands have dried to exceptionally low levels. In some upland sites, species-rich environments have dried out completely, in some cases that may be unprecedented in our records. Lowland raised bogs have seen significant water table declines, particularly where they have not yet been restored, leading to peat breaking down when air reaches it and erosion. Wildlife has felt these pressures acutely: breeding waders have struggled with reduced feeding opportunities and higher risk of chick dehydration, fish kills have occurred where oxygen levels have dropped, and some specialist wetland invertebrates, including white-faced darter and large heath butterfly populations, have suffered substantial declines. And farmers are reporting significant reduced yields. The overall picture is one of significant strain on landscapes that are already contending with multiple, sometimes conflicting, pressures. Some sites this year faced both unusually wet spring conditions and summer drought in the same season, a reminder of just how variable and challenging our climate is becoming. Fires at sites like Holme Fen in Cambridgeshire illustrate the challenge starkly. Dried peat can burn for months, releasing stored carbon. They are extremely difficult to extinguish once fire penetrates deep into the ground which also places pressure on our emergency services and people working on those sites to tackle. #### **Understanding the fuller picture** While the short-term impacts of drought are visible now, there are also impacts that emerge later and recur over time. Natural England is developing a research and monitoring programme specifically focused on the impacts of drought and wildfire, because many of the most serious consequences may not become fully apparent until future seasons. We are also increasingly responding to drought permits and orders; requests to allow more flexibility in managing water resources when there is an exceptional shortage of rain. These measures are designed to avoid lasting damage, but they are growing in frequency. #### **Holding water for longer: restoring the systems that protect us** Restoring the natural systems that help our landscapes cope in the first place is critical. In particular, restoring our wetlands and peatlands so they can do what they naturally would, is one of the most effective tools we have. It helps them hold onto water for longer to reduce flooding and keep water where it should be helping them resist fire. Wetter landscapes recover more quickly from drought and help maintain water levels for drinking water as well and water for our treasured wildlife. Restoration of sphagnum moss on peatland is one of the most common methods. Restoring this plant cover, alongside work like blocking artificial drainage channels, helps peatlands hold water much more effectively. Long-term restoration work in the Peak District and South Pennines, led by partners such as Moors for the Future, has shown that this kind of restoration can slow the flow of water off the hills, helping to protect communities downstream while also storing carbon and supporting biodiversity. It's a strong example of how work that's good for nature is good for people. Beavers offer another compelling example. By building dams and creating wetlands, beavers naturally store water, filter it, and help keep the ground moist for much longer after rain has stopped, acting as both a lifeline during drought and a natural firebreak against wildfire. Reintroducing beavers has real potential to support nature's recovery. Natural England is working closely with partners to manage reintroduction licences carefully, to make sure the return of beavers benefits both wildlife and local communities. #### **What this means for people** As hotter, drier summers become more common, climate-resilient landscapes play an increasingly important role in protecting people’s health and wellbeing. Trees, parks, wetlands, rivers and other nature-rich spaces provide cooling shade, help reduce the impacts of heat stress, improve air quality and create places for recreation and relaxation. As part of our natural health service, they help communities stay healthy, active and resilient in a changing climate. #### **Working together with the National Drought Group** No single organisation can tackle a challenge of this scale alone. Natural England sits on the National Drought Group. Working alongside government, water companies and other partners to coordinate our response to drought and ensure that the needs of nature are properly represented in national planning. This collaboration allows us to bring our evidence and experience from reserves across the country into decisions that can improve water management, drought response and long-term resilience planning at a national level. #### **Looking ahead** On our National Nature Reserves, restored wetlands and bogs have consistently held onto water better than areas that haven't been restored, offering vital refuges for wildlife throughout drought periods. Habitats with more variety and structure, such as developing wooded areas, have proven more resilient than open, exposed habitats. By continuing to invest in these nature-based solutions, deepening our research into the longer-term impacts of drought and wildfire, and working closely with partners through the National Drought Group and beyond, we can help build a landscape that is genuinely more resilient to the droughts of the future, for wildlife, and for the people who depend on it.

**_By Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England_** * * * _In this blog, NE Chair Tony Juniper reflects on his recent visit to Pear Tree Park in Ealing with the Deputy Mayor Mete Coban to talk about the importance of green spaces for local communities and the amazing work that goes into creating and maintaining these spaces._ * * * In late August I had the pleasure of visiting the Pear Tree Park rewilding project in Ealing, alongside London’s Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Mete Çoban. It was inspiring to see how a place so close to the centre of London is being transformed for Nature, while also becoming a vital space for people — especially young people — to come together, learn new skills and build a deeper connection with the natural world. #### **West London Regional Park & Cultivate London** The day started with us meeting at Pear Tree Park, just a short bus trip from central Ealing, where we were introduced to the site by Sam Parry from Ealing Council. Previously a golf course, this park reopened two years ago and is now home to a mix of wildflower meadows, native trees and wetlands supporting pollinators and bird species. It is part of a wider ambition to create the West London Regional Park. This shared vision between Natural England, the Greater London Authority and other partners will connect green and blue spaces for communities across West London into one continuous landscape, supported by a Nature Towns and Cities grant. Following this introduction we then heard from Cultivate London, an organisation working across the city to engage communities with urban gardening and offer opportunities to learn about and work in horticulture. They are particularly focussed on working with communities that face barriers to visiting green spaces, and speaking to their volunteers, we heard about not only the benefits they had created for Nature but also the positives this work had brought to their own health and wellbeing. _Tony at Pear Tree Park with Sam Perry, Ealing Council Programme Manager © Natural England_ #### **Tree planting with Letting Grow** We then set out into the park to meet Ross Walker of Letting Grow, a London based charity that works with urban communities to create accessible green spaces. He and a group of young volunteers were busy planting tree saplings and Ross led us through a warm-up and activity, to ensure everyone felt welcome in this natural space, before we all got stuck in with the tree planting. It was especially heartening to work alongside young people who had chosen to spend part of their summer holidays caring for a local green space that clearly means a great deal to them. Together they had already planted more than 5,000 trees across the park, contributing to the borough’s wider target of 50,000. _Tony helping to plant a tree. © Natural England_ #### **What the evidence tells us** The visit also illustrated why access to nature is such an important issue for cities like London. The latest People and Nature Survey for England Annual Report found that people living in urban or socio-economically deprived areas, younger adults, and people identifying as Asian or Asian British are among those most likely to report not having a local green space within easy walking distance. These findings underline why improving access to high-quality green space is not simply an environmental issue, but a matter of fairness, health and opportunity. The evidence also shows that people feel more connected to nature when green spaces are within a five-minute walk of home. Yet fewer than half of adults reported feeling connected to Nature, even though most people agree that being in nature makes them happy and supports their physical and mental wellbeing. These findings reinforce something that Natural England has long championed: nature should be part of people's everyday lives, not something they have to travel to experience. Places like Pear Tree Park demonstrate what can be achieved when partners work together to bring high-quality green spaces closer to communities, helping to tackle inequalities in access. #### **Restoring nature along the River Brent** Our final stop took us to the River Brent, where we met representatives from Clean Up the River Brent, a community river cleaning group, and local volunteers helping to improve and protect this important waterway by clearing invasive species, such as Himalayan Balsam, and replacing with native wetland plants such as reeds and rushes. It also meant cleaning out rubbish from the river, the biggest catch of the day being two e-bikes which we were glad to see removed. This visit was a powerful reminder that connecting people with nature is not only good for individuals, but it is essential for long-term nature recovery. When communities are involved in shaping and caring for local green and blue spaces, they become active stewards of the natural environment. _Volunteers from Clean Up the River Brent clearing & planting vegetation along the River Brent. © Edel McGurk, Natural England_ #### **Resilient cities and communities** As well as supporting biodiversity and wellbeing, projects like Pear Tree Park play an increasingly important role in helping cities like London adapt to climate change. Trees, parks, and healthy waterways can help reduce flood risk, improve air quality and provide cooling during periods of extreme heat, like the capital has experienced this summer. Therefore, investing in nature is investing in healthier, more resilient communities. I left Pear Tree Park feeling optimistic. The partnership between communities, organisations and Ealing Council shows what can be achieved when people come together around a shared ambition for nature. As plans for the West London Regional Park develop, and initiatives such as Nature Towns and Cities gather momentum, places like Pear Tree Park offer a glimpse of a greener urban future — one where Nature recovery, community wellbeing and climate resilience are advanced together, for the benefit of generations to come. _Tony and Mete Çoban filming for social media © Natural England_ **Read the new People and Nature Survey Annual Report:** Adults' Year 6 Annual Report (April 2025 - March 2026) - GOV.UK **Find out more about Nature Towns and Cities:** Home - Nature Towns and Cities

_**By Zoe Shorter, Project Manager for the** **SAMM** **Team, Thames Solent Area Team**_ * * * _This blog explains the findings of an independent evaluation of the 15-year Thames Basin Heaths SAMM Project. Evidence suggests the project is successfully mitigating recreational pressure on protected heathlands, with stable or increasing bird populations despite housing growth, and the report has identified wardening, education and partnership work as key strengths._ * * * Spanning across Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, the Thames Basin Heaths is a stunning collection of lowland heathland of international importance. The landscape is home to an incredible range of flora and fauna, including every species of native reptile, rare Silver-studded Blue and Grayling butterflies, a dazzling array of dragonflies, and rare birds including the Nightjar, Dartford Warbler and Woodlark. For the last 15 years, the Thames Basin Heaths Strategic Access Management and Monitoring (SAMM) Project has worked to reduce recreational pressure on internationally important heathland habitats while helping local communities continue to enjoy them. This September, we are pleased to share the findings of an independent evaluation of the project. _Nightjar perched on a Scots Pine branch © Mark Leitch_ #### **Building better places for people and nature** The Thames Basin Heaths Partnership brings together local authorities, Natural England, conservation organisations, land managers and other partners to protect the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area, while supporting sustainable development across Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire. At the heart of the partnership is a simple ambition: that everyone living within Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, values the Thames Basin Heaths, feels a sense of responsibility towards them and is motivated to help protect them. As part of this partnership, the SAMM team works towards this through monitoring, education and engagement activities that promote three core messages: * Paws on paths please – to encourage responsible dog walking * Make use of greenspace on your doorstep – discover new places to walk while helping to protect heathland wildlife * Be Wildfire Aware – as the heathland is highly vulnerable to fire Alongside SAMM, the partnership offer alternative places to walk and enjoy nature, reducing pressure on protected heathlands and helping balance nature conservation with development. At Natural England, we are committed to building better places where nature and communities can coexist. We believe that nature and development go hand in hand, and that we should harness the power of nature as we face a changing climate. The work done by the SAMM team directly supports these aims. _Conservation grazers visit a SAMM Warden engagement pop-up. These cattle help maintain healthy heathland by naturally controlling vegetation growth and creating space for wildlife to thrive © Tim Britt Searle_ #### **Asking the important question: how do we know we’re being effective?** Although reviewing and monitoring were built into the strategic solution from the outset, a formal evaluation of the SAMM Project had never been undertaken. Discussions with Natural England colleagues and other projects that help reduce the environmental impacts of new development, at the annual National Mitigation Meet Ups, revealed a shared challenge: demonstrating the impact of behaviour change and preventative conservation work. In 2024, funding was secured to commission an independent evaluation of the SAMM Project, gathering evidence, identifying improvements and helping to inform future delivery of the project. The review focused on 4 key questions: 1. Is the project delivering against its objectives? 2. How effective are its services and roles? 3. Is current monitoring sufficient to demonstrate impact? 4. What changes are needed to sustain and enhance delivery? #### **Evaluation outcomes** We were delighted to find the evaluation showed the project is delivering on its core aims. The headline finding though was that despite significant housing growth and increased visitor numbers across the area, protected bird populations have remained stable and in some cases increased; indicating that the project has successfully mitigated recreational impacts on the Thames Basin Heaths. _Members of the public join a guided evening walk to learn about nightjars and heathland wildlife © Sarah Barker_ The report identifies our wardening, education and partnership work as key strengths of the project. These activities are at the heart of what we do, helping people enjoy the heathlands while understanding how to protect them. Through guided walks, public events, school visits and community outreach, we connect thousands of people with these special places every year. The evaluation found that wardens are particularly effective at building trust with visitors through regular conversations, while the education programme has grown significantly in recent years. Together, these activities help build awareness, encourage responsible behaviour and inspire people to care for the Thames Basin Heaths. #### **Turning evidence into action** So far, we've been able to take the findings of this report and begin making some suggested improvements, including expanding our education capacity to meet the demand and making greater use of social media and other digital channels to reach new audiences. We're also pleased to see the evaluation already generating interest beyond the partnership, with findings being shared and discussed by other teams working in mitigation and nature conservation. We look forward to 15 more years of fantastic work protecting the Thames Basin Heaths. _Seasonal Warden delivering an engagement pop-up on the heath, giving out greenspace booklets, doggy goody bags, and sharing what makes this habitat so special © Nicola Buckland_ #### **Find out more** If you'd like to learn more, we encourage you to: * Read the evaluation report * Register for our webinar on Tuesday 29th September at 11:00am (which will dive deeper into our evaluation) * Visit the Thames Basin Heaths Partnership website * Contact us at **tbhpartnership@naturalengland.org.uk** And if you're visiting your local heathland, please remember our three simple messages: stay on the path, be wildfire aware and help protect these special places for future generations. You can also make a direct contribution by exploring our volunteering opportunities and getting involved in protecting the Thames Basin Heaths. Finally, thank you to everyone who contributed to this work, including our partners, Joint Strategic Partnership Board members, Natural England colleagues, stakeholders and the wider SAMM team. **Together, we're building the evidence, partnerships and confidence needed to protect these internationally important heathlands while supporting thriving communities around them.**

_**Lucy Abram, Deputy Director of the Cheshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside Team**_ * * * _CyanLines is a bold plan to link and transform Greater Manchester’s green and blue spaces - and it's just celebrated its first birthday. This blog explores how Greater Manchester is putting nature at the heart of its future growth and development, and celebrates the first year of CyanLines, an ambitious programme connecting people with nature across the city region. It explains the ways in which the city regards nature as essential infrastructure, delivering benefits that range from cleaner air and reduced flood risk to improved health, wellbeing and economic prosperity._ * * * _A pop-up installation on Deansgate to start conversation with residents, business and visitors on how the city spaces can be transformed through nature. © Ashurst Comms_ Greater Manchester has long been a leader in reconnecting people with nature. Nature is not a nice-to-have or an afterthought. It is essential infrastructure. Natural England has been working across Greater Manchester for many years, building strong partnerships with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, local authorities and environmental NGOs. Together, we are shaping strategic plans and delivering projects that create lasting benefits for communities, nature and the local economy. Nature cleans our air and water, reduces flood risk, stores carbon, cools our urban environments, supports food production and strengthens the economy. And importantly, access to green space improves physical and mental wellbeing, with green spaces estimated to save the NHS £2.1 billion every year by helping people live healthier lives. Ensuring these spaces are accessible, with routes starting on people's doorsteps, is more important than ever. As the first area in the North of England to publish the Local Nature Recovery Strategy, Greater Manchester is leading the way in working across a range of partnerships to integrate nature into the fabric of the city region. This vision goes hand-in-hand with ambitious plans for housing, world-class employment spaces, and hubs for innovation, science and technology, demonstrating that growth and nature are not competing priorities. The development of CyanLines is a powerful example of this ambition. By creating a connected network of nature-rich spaces linked by walking routes, canals and rivers, the project will make it easier than ever for people to experience and enjoy nature across the city. It's ambitious. It's transformative. And if there's one thing Manchester has never been afraid of, it is thinking big. _A full map of the CL1-CL4 in central Manchester and Salford_. © _Credit CyanLines_ #### **Celebrating One Year of CyanLines** In September 2025, more than 600 people descended upon Aviva Studios in central Manchester to hear of a new ambitious programme that was set to transform the green and blue routes across Greater Manchester. 12-months on, crowds returned to the creative hub on the banks of the River Irwell to hear first-hand of the progress made. Born from the minds of Tom Bloxham CBE MBE (Chair and Founder of Urban Splash) and Pete Swift (Founding Director and CEO of Planit) – and backed by the former leader of Manchester City Council and recently elected Mayor of Greater Manchester, Bev Craig, and our new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham – CyanLines is a bold initiative to create a 100-mile network of green spaces and waterways across the city region, connecting local people with the nature-rich landscape that makes Greater Manchester so unique. Mayor of Greater Manchester and co-chair of CyanLines Bev Craig said: > _“We’re on a mission to connect our green spaces with nature across Greater Manchester._ > > _“The ambition of CyanLines to join up our green spaces, rivers and canals is a key part of our vision to create a greener, healthier and better-connected city region. It shows what we can achieve when communities, businesses and the public and voluntary sectors come together with a shared purpose.”_ It is part of one of the first projects to be part funded by the Nature Towns and Cities initiative, a transformative coalition of organisations bringing nature, green infrastructure and natural heritage into communities. Salford & Manchester are one area where nearly £1 million has been awarded to create thriving nature corridors and parks to connect existing open spaces and waterways into a cohesive network. One of the core components of CyanLines is a commitment to be led by the evidence. The CyanLabs programme pulls together key organisations – such as Natural England and academics from Greater Manchester’s Universities – to design where the next tranche of CyanLines should go, to improve nature’s recovery whilst creating more green corridors in areas of most need for the greatest health benefits. This week, the CyanLines coalition reconnected for the 2026 annual stakeholder event, using the one-year anniversary as a moment to celebrate the development of the four initial routes across the urban centre of Manchester and Salford. A warm reception was received from both private and public partners, celebrating this next phase and revealing two major announcements: firstly, a significant charitable grant from the Bupa Foundation to the National Trust towards Phase Two of Castlefield Viaduct. Secondly, plans for a new CyanLines route, CL5, which will significantly improve the experience of walking and wheeling to the Etihad Stadium and Co-op Live Arena from the City Centre through a series practical and nature led interventions. _Phase Two of the National Trust Viaduct, supported by the Bupa Foundation. © Ashurst Comms_ As ever, it was striking to see the breadth of representation in the room; from developers who are reshaping areas of Greater Manchester to policy professionals, everyone has united under the CyanLines plan to help deliver for nature and people. It was also a pleasure to welcome our Chair of Natural England, Tony Juniper, to Manchester, as he spoke at the annual event and ventured on a walk along CL4 earlier that day. Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, said: > _“This is a great example of the kind of silo-busting partnership working needed to deliver real results in actual places where people live and work. At Natural England we look forward to further collaboration, maximising benefits for wildlife as part of this inspiring people-focused vision."_ Natural England are excited to continue working with CyanLines and partners on this exciting journey, and we can’t wait to see what we achieve together by the second anniversary.

**_By Sofía Muñoz and Scott Mitchell_** ,_**Senior Specialists for Data Engagement and Analysis, Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment Programme**_ * * * _This blog explains what Local Wildlife Sites (LWS) are, why they matter, and the importance of the new online hub where people can go for information about their own LWSs._ * * * It's not only our best-known landscapes which matter for nature. Alongside designated areas like National Parks and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), there's a vast and often overlooked network of 44,000 places across England that matter for wildlife and for people: Local Wildlife Sites. But while Local Wildlife Sites (LWSs) are often well-known and valued locally, their potential to support nature recovery hasn't always been visible at a regional and national scale. Today, the Wildlife Trusts are publishing a new online hub for LWSs, the result of an ambitious partnership with Natural England, made possible by funding from the UK government’s Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme. The hub brings together information from across the country to create a national picture, helping communities, planners, and policy-makers understand more about these sites. #### **What LWSs do for us** LWSs don't carry the statutory protection of designations like SSSIs, but their contribution to nature and to people is significant. They’re identified at a local level by the people who know their areas best, and are selected for biodiversity and nature conservation value. Found on both public and private land, they can act as stepping stones and refuges for wildlife, help connect fragmented habitats, and provide valuable ecosystem services, from flood protection to cleaner air. Where they are accessible, they provide places for people to connect with the natural world. _A screenshot showing maps available on the hub, including the % coverage and number of LWS by area._ #### **A national landing page for LWSs** The hub will serve as a national landing page for LWSs. It will raise awareness of these sites and their importance, provide accessible information to the public and existing LWS stakeholders, and signpost users to their relevant Local Wildlife Site partnership or Local Environmental Records Centre (LERC). It also includes maps of the number and total area covered by LWSs , assembled by the Wildlife Trusts using information shared by LWS partnerships across the country. These show that LWSs cover over 750,000 hectares – over six times the area covered by National Nature Reserves, and approaching the 1,000,000+ ha covered by Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Alongside the new hub, we've also updated the guidance on local sites (Local Wildlife Sites and Local Geological Sites) and best practice for selecting and managing sites. #### **How will the hub be used?** The hub will support local communities to learn about and care for these sites, better understand their value, and discover and enjoy those of them which are open to the public. Having this evidence in one place will make it easier for LWSs to be considered in policy development at multiple scales, such as within 30by30, Local Nature Recovery Strategies, and land use planning and decision-making. _The new online hub, hosted by the Wildlife Trusts._ #### **An uneven national patchwork** One of the most striking things that this work illuminates is just how differently LWSs are distributed in different parts of the country. These regional differences will have implications for nature recovery. LWSs may be particularly important in an area where protected legal categories are sparse. In Birmingham and the Black Country, for example, although under 2% of the area is covered by SSSIs (against an average of 8% for England), a further 6.8% is covered by LWSs. In Wiltshire, meanwhile, according to figures from the Wildlife Trusts, 75% of the county’s deciduous woodland is found in LWSs, compared with just 10% in SSSIs. While not all LWSs are in favourable condition or positive conservation management, LWSs can be of equal or higher biodiversity value than SSSIs. _Cabila Woods, Cornwall. Image © Laura Snell._ #### **Built on partnership** This work would not have been possible without the many LWS partnerships across England who have spent years, in some cases decades, gathering and maintaining local evidence. We're enormously grateful to them, and to the local custodians of these sites, for their expertise and dedication. The project was funded through the UK government's Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment programme (NCEA), Defra's largest research and development programme. NCEA is assessing England's land, freshwater and coastal ecosystems to produce a baseline of our natural assets by 2029, enabling a natural capital approach to policy and decision-making.

**By Marian Spain, Chief Executive, Natural England** * * * Marian Spain, September 2026 As she nears the end of her career at Natural England, Chief Executive Marian Spain reflects on 40 years working with Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, from their early days as planning tools to their evolution into today's thriving National Landscapes. She traces the milestones that shaped this journey, and marks the moment with the submission of formal orders to extend the Surrey Hills AONB and create a new National Landscape in the Yorkshire Wolds. * * * 40 years ago, when I started my nature conservation career working across the east and south of England, National Parks weren't really part of my world so the Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, or AONBs, became my natural allies. Historically, AONBs were almost entirely about planning. Their job was to stop development happening in the wrong places, but there was very little positive, active management of the countryside and they were often seen as the poorer relation to National Parks. Less funding, less action, less influence. Mole Valley, Reigate, in the proposed extension to the Surrey Hills National Landscape I am very proud therefore that I at one point held a job called "Head of Finest Countryside" (even though plenty of people pointed out, quite fairly, that this was also the name of a supermarket's premium food range!). But behind the slightly awkward title was a serious responsibility: improving the management of every AONB and National Park in the country. That was the moment when we started to see local authorities begin to invest in teams to look after AONBs, and to see them not just as places to protect from harm, but as places for nature to recover and for people to enjoy. That shift fed into the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, which gave AONBs statutory management plans for the first time, and created the ability to establish Conservation Boards. It was a small but important change in the law that gave these nationally significant landscapes a firmer footing. I also worked on the designations of the New Forest and South Downs as National Parks. Those projects sparked long debates about whether other AONBs needed to be "upgraded" to fulfil their potential too. Whatever the answer, the conversation itself pushed everyone to try harder. Marian Spain at Seven Sisters National Nature Reserve, South Downs National Park, May 2026 It was always clear to me that AONBs were never second best. The legislation is unambiguous: it sets exactly the same standard of natural beauty for an AONB as for a National Park. The bodies that look after AONBs were not bound by formal planning and other duties and governance as National Park Authorities are, nor did they have the same resources, so they could (and often had to be) entrepreneurial and innovative and build partnerships that reached wide and far. Necessity became a strength. Then came the Landscapes Review chaired by Julian Glover, which asked hard questions about whether our system of protected landscapes was fit for the 21st century. Natural England contributed evidence throughout, and its recommendations have shaped much of what has followed. Today, we have AONBs rebranded as National Landscapes, and a National Landscapes Association that champions them and pushes all of them towards the highest standards. We have the Protected Landscapes Partnership that brings National Trails, National Landscapes and National Parks together as one family. That means they work collectively on projects that transcend their boundaries, such as the “Big Chalk” project and Coastal Wildbelt. That new vigour and ambition and collective effort is also being recognised through new designations: National Landscapes, as they have evolved to be, are as relevant today as they were the concept was first established in law in 1949. Marian Spain on a visit to the proposed Yorkshire Wolds National Landscape When I joined Natural England in 2018, one of my first jobs was to sign the Order designating an extension to the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB. It feels fitting that, as I approach the end of my role as CEO here and the last stage of my 40-year career in nature, that I have last week with the NE Chair signed the Orders that contribute towards the potential creation/extension of two more National Landscapes. Today (7 September 2026) marks the submission of the formal orders to the Secretary of State seeking to extend Surrey Hills AONB and seeking a brand new AONB in the Yorkshire Wolds. Marian Spain, Tony Juniper and Navroza Ladha with the Surrey Hills and Yorkshire Wolds project teams and the official signed and sealed designation Orders. Whilst those landscapes are not designated unless or until the SoS confirms the decision, today, the whole family of National Landscapes are delivering on the ground in ways that would have seemed unimaginable when I started out. Take Heathland Connections in the Surrey Hills, restoring and reconnecting fragmented heathland habitats so that wildlife can move and thrive across a landscape rather than being confined to isolated pockets. Or the Farming in Protected Landscapes scheme, which has given farmers right across our National Landscapes practical support and funding to farm sustainably, proving that food production and nature recovery can go hand in hand. And then there's the simple, profound fact that millions of people visit these landscapes - including the Yorkshire Wolds which is home to the Yorkshire Wolds National Trail - every year for their health and wellbeing, finding space to breathe, to walk, to think. National Landscapes are places that are valued and protected not just for their beauty but are managed and promoted for everything they give us. **A landscape's work is never finished** Whatever comes next for our landscapes, I know they are in good hands. The people who care for them, who campaign for them, and who simply walk through them and are quietly changed by what they see, will make sure of that. It has been the privilege of my working life to stand alongside them. Further information on the Yorkshire Wolds project is available at Yorkshire Wolds Designation Project Further information on the Surrey Hills project is available at Surrey Hills National Landscape (AONB) Variation Project Second Consultation - Defra - Citizen Space * * *

* * * _This blog is a summary of Marian Spain and Tony Juniper's appearance in front of the Environmental Audit Committee_ , _and reflections on their time in office._ * * * _Marian Spain and Tony Juniper at the Environmental Audit Committee._ Natural England's Chair Tony Juniper and Chief Executive Marian Spain appeared before Parliament's Environmental Audit Committee this week, reflecting on the organisation's achievements over recent years and making a strong case for why nature must remain at the heart of the country's future. The special session in the Houses of Parliament gave Marian and Tony the opportunity to look back at their time leading Natural England, while answering questions from MPs on some of the biggest issues facing nature and the organisation today. Over almost two hours, the discussion ranged widely: from the condition of protected sites and species recovery to planning reform, water quality, climate change, resourcing and the role a healthy natural environment plays in economic growth and national security. One message ran consistently through the session: nature is not a barrier to the things the country needs to achieve. It is fundamental to achieving them. #### **Looking back at how far we've come** Tony opened the session by reflecting on the transformation Natural England has undergone since he and Marian began working together in 2019. He highlighted the development of a much clearer strategic direction for the organisation, increased investment and a renewed confidence in Natural England and its role. He also pointed to the breadth of work delivered over that period: supporting the development of Environmental Land Management and Landscape Recovery; finding new approaches to enable development while protecting nature; tackling nutrient pollution; expanding National Nature Reserves; recovering species including beavers and white-tailed eagles; connecting more people with nature; and delivering major national trails. Marian reflected on how this work has culminated in Natural England's current strategy, Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security, and the shift it represents in how the organisation talks about its mission. Nature, she told the Committee, should not be viewed simply as something that needs protecting. Healthy and resilient ecosystems provide essential services on which our economy, health and security depend. Marian and Tony's message to those who will lead Natural England in the future was clear: keep pushing in that direction, and keep making the case for nature as essential national infrastructure, rather than a "nice to have." #### **Nature and growth: moving beyond the false choice** A significant part of the discussion focused on economic growth and the persistent suggestion that protecting nature can stand in its way. Both Marian and Tony strongly challenged that premise. Marian stressed that Natural England recognises the country needs new homes, clean energy and infrastructure. The organisation's role is not to prevent that development, but to help ensure it happens in the most nature-friendly way possible, protecting the natural systems that the economy itself ultimately depends upon. Tony described the idea that the country must choose between economic development and nature as a "false choice," pointing to evidence that investment in nature can create economic value and make communities and infrastructure more resilient. Wetlands, woodlands, healthy coastlines and other natural assets, he argued, need to be thought about in much the same way as other infrastructure: investments that deliver a return for society. #### **Preparing for a changing climate** Following one of the hottest summers on record, the Committee also explored the impact of climate change and how nature can help the country adapt. The discussion highlighted the role of green spaces, trees, water and other nature-based solutions in cooling communities, managing flood risk and making places more resilient. Marian also drew attention to the inequality in access to nature and green space, and how communities with the least access can often be among those most exposed to the impacts of extreme heat. Programmes such as Nature Towns and Cities demonstrate how investment in greener places can simultaneously support climate resilience, people's wellbeing and local economic growth. #### **A reflection of the whole organisation** While this session focused on Marian and Tony's leadership, many of the achievements discussed are ultimately the result of the expertise, commitment and hard work of Natural England colleagues across the country. From people working with farmers and land managers to those advising on planning and infrastructure; from scientists and specialists to colleagues working on species recovery, protected sites, access, green infrastructure and partnerships, the session provided a powerful reminder of the extraordinary breadth of what Natural England does. Closing the hearing, Committee Chair Toby Perkins MP thanked Marian and Tony not only for their evidence, but for their contribution to Natural England over the past seven years. As Marian prepares to leave Natural England at the end of September and Tony approaches the end of his term as Chair next year, this session provided an opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved, but also on the scale of the task still ahead. The central message was perhaps the simplest one of all: recovering nature isn't separate from delivering the future the country needs. It is one of the foundations on which that future depends.

* * * _This summer, if you’re looking for fun and accessible days out that are low-cost, then we have you covered. Not only is spending time in nature great for your wellbeing, it can also be great for your bank balance. Here are our suggestions for our favourite affordable days out in the South East!_ * * * Whether you're after a gentle walk or a long trek, wonderful wildlife or ancient history, the South East has it all. It's tough to narrow it down, but here are some of our favourite days out for you to enjoy! _King Charles III England Coast Path at Emsworth. © Strong Island Media_ #### **The King Charles III England Coast Path at Chichester Harbour** Enjoy a stretch of the King Charles III England Coast Path around Thorney Island, taking in stunning views of Chichester Harbour – all within reach of Chichester and Portsmouth. This 8-mile route begins in the picturesque village of Emsworth and ends at Southbourne, though can be completed in either direction, and passes by special saltmarshes, mudflats and dune habitats. The fully waymarked coast path offers the chance to spot seals, coastal wildflowers and birds including terns, redshanks, curlews and ospreys. Remember, if seal or birdwatching at the coast make sure to keep your distance and not cause any disturbance! From Emsworth you can join the coast path at Queen Street, on the eastern side of the island you can join at Prinsted Lane in Prinsted. If you fancy an even bigger challenge this stretch forms part of over 200 miles of coast path that is now open across Hampshire & Sussex! Please be aware that Thorney Island is an active army base. There are two security gates on either side of the island where you will be required to use an intercom system to gain onward access. Always check the National Trails website in advance of your walk to check for any temporary MOD closure notices. **Getting there:** You can catch the train from Chichester or Portsmouth to Emsworth. If you're doing the full 8-mile stretch, catch the train home from Southbourne. _Hindhead Commons and the Devil's Punch Bowl. © National Trust/John Miller_ #### **Hindhead Commons, part of the Wealden Heaths National Nature Reserve (National Trust)** Across Surrey, Hampshire & West Sussex is a 2,440 hectare patchwork of some of England's most important ancient heathlands - the Wealden Heaths National Nature Reserve. Hindhead Commons & the Devil's Punch Bowl, one of twenty sites across Wealden Heaths, is the perfect spot to enjoy what the NNR has to offer. Devil's Punch Bowl offers spectacular views of the colourful heath landscape. Named for the local legend of the Devil scooping and throwing dirt at Thor, the Punch Bowl has an onsite cafe with toilet facilities and is a short step-free walk from a car park and bus stop. Hindhead Commons is home to a well waymarked walking routes from which you may see sunbathing reptiles, including sand lizards and adders, blooming heather plants, and if you're lucky, and visit near dusk, the rare nightjar bird. With the ongoing hot and dry weather, please remember to act responsibly while in natural spaces. This NNR's heathland is especially vulnerable to wildfires, so please do not light fires or BBQs. **Getting there:** Take the number 19 bus from Haslemere Railway Station. Haslemere is a short train journey from both Godalming and Guildford. _South Downs near Mt Caburn National Nature Reserve. © Natural England_ **Mount Caburn National Nature Reserve near Lewes** Take in spectacular views of the South Downs from Mount Caburn National Nature Reserve - a short trip from Brighton. Used since the Iron Age as a base for fortifications, the south facing chalk hill and valley of Mount Caburn's chalk grassland, a globally rare habitat, is home to wildflowers and diverse range of butterflies and moths. Its wildlife includes burnt-tip, common and pyramidal orchids as well as Adonis blue butterflies, silver-spotted skippers and scarce forester moths. The flora and fauna of Mount Caburn have flourished due to traditional grazing practices used for thousands of years across the South Downs. These management methods are still used to maintain the grassland today. The conditions required to create this habitat mean wildlife is particularly susceptible to human disturbance, so please remember to take litter home with you and to leave no trace of your visit. **Getting there:** Catch the Brighton to Eastbourne/Hastings train and get off at Glynde. Alternatively, for a longer walk, start at Lewes and head eastwards up Chapel Hill onto the South Downs. _Thames Path National Trail near Hammersmith Bridge. © Natural England_ #### **Thames Path National Trail** Spanning 185 miles, the Thames Path National Trail passes through historic towns and cities, peaceful water meadows, bustling riverside communities and our capital. Starting at the source of the Thames, to the west of Cirencester, the full 185-mile route crosses 8 counties and takes you all the way to Woolwich in East London. If you don't fancy the full challenge, there are plenty of great short routes along the way. Enjoy a 9-mile stretch from Oxford to Abingdon: beginning at Folly Bridge, the route takes you past Christ Church Meadow and onwards past Iffley Lock and into the Oxfordshire countryside where the river passes meadows and farmland. Keep an eye out for waterbirds, such as kingfishers, and dragonflies including the Southern Hawker. Another great spot to join the Thames Path is Henley-on-Thames. This beautiful Georgian town is a relaxed spot to enjoy riverside pubs and a laidback stroll along the river. Henley is also home to an interactive mural celebrating 30 years of the Thames Path which you can find at Mill Meadows Pavillion. London has many starting points to offer, from leafy riverside nature of Richmond, the hustle & bustle and iconic views of the City, to the maritime history of Greenwich. Through London the path, mostly, covers both banks of the Thames so there are ample opportunities for creating your own circular route. Plan your own trip, and find information on any diversions, by visiting nationaltrail.co.uk  **Getting there:** For the Oxford to Abingdon route, catch the train to Oxford. To return to Oxford take the bus from Abingdon. For Henley catch the train from Twyford which is reachable direct from London Paddington and Reading. If walking the full route from west to east catch the train to Kemble and then the 882 bus to Smerrill Quarry, a 30 minute walk from the start of the route. Return from Woolwich station. * * * _If you are visiting the coast, rivers or other open water, check local conditions, weather and tide times, follow safety signs and choose a lifeguarded beach where possible. Consult with_ Tide Times_to help plan your visit, and read up on_ water safety advice_before you set out._ _With the recent dry, hot weather, wildfire risk is high across the countryside. Please pack a picnic instead of a barbecue, take your rubbish home with you, and if you spot an unattended fire, get to a safe place and call 999._ _Remember to always follow the_  Countryside Code_when you’re out and about in nature!_

* * * _If you’re looking for fun and accessible days out that are low-cost, then we have you covered. Not only is spending time in nature great for your wellbeing, it can also be great for your bank balance. Here are our suggestions for our favourite affordable days out in the Southwest!_ * * * The Southwest is packed with incredible places to explore, many of them completely free. Whether you're looking for riverside strolls, family-friendly wildlife watching, rockpool adventures, rocky scrambles or spectacular wildflower meadows, there's plenty to discover. _A replica of the neolithic ‘sweet track’ that neolithic farmers used to cross the marshes._ #### **For wildlife, history and hands-on exploration** : **The Avalon Marshes Centre and Somerset Wetlands National Nature Reserve** The Avalon Marshes Centre is the perfect hub for a family day out. Enjoy a picnic near the wildlife pond and make use of the amenities – including a visitor information point, café and accessible toilets – as well as visiting the on-site museum and craft gallery. Throughout the summer, they host family friendly events that connect people with the wildlife and history of the site. From there, it’s a short walk to Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve, a gateway to the Somerset Wetlands here you can follow pushchair-friendly paths or ancient tracks. Lucky visitors might catch a glimpse of the resident beavers or sparkling kingfishers and dragonflies. **Getting there:** The 668 weekday bus service connects the Avalon Marshes Centre with nearby towns and villages. It is also linked to Glastonbury, Street and Wedmore by quiet lanes and cycle paths. The centre is around 10 minutes by car from Glastonbury and has free parking on site with donations encouraged. **For a classic day out by the sea** : **Weymouth Beach, Dorset** For a proper day at the seaside, this award-winning stretch of golden sand is perfect for building sandcastles and paddling in the gentle waves. A stroll along the sweeping seafront connects you to the King Charles III England Coast Path where adventurous visitors can extend their day with a walk. Head east from Weymouth for a challenging cliff-top climb and panoramic sea views, or head west for an easier walk towards the unique landscape of Chesil Beach and Fleet Lagoon, a rare habitat and the largest saltwater lagoon in the UK. **Getting there:** Weymouth station is just a short hop from the beach. Weymouth is also well connected to nearby towns by bus and there are plenty of car parks, including a park and ride service. #### **For accessible trails across diverse wildlife habitats** : **Goss and Tregoss Moors, part of the** Mid Cornwall Moors NNR Goss Moor features heathland, wetlands, pools and scrub habitats. A largely level seven-mile multi-use trail provides easy access for walkers, cyclists and families, with Tramper, equestrian, and cycle accessible gates. Home to some of the country’s rarest species such as lesser butterfly orchid, yellow centaury, marsh clubmoss and Cornish moneywort. The 29 species of butterfly and 18 species of dragonfly and damselfly include the nationally scarce small red damselfly. Dormice reside in grassy open areas and the reserve is a stronghold for Britain’s fastest declining resident bird, the willow tit. The moor is surrounded by medieval farms and the characteristic remains of tin-streaming and gravel extraction. **Getting there:** The nearest train stations to Goss Moor are in St Columb Road and Roche. Bus services run close to the reserve from St Austell to Newquay and from St Columb Major to Bodmin. See the Tradeline SW website for details. _Visitors to Wembury beach enjoy activities from rockpooling to surfing. © Eleanor Goodall_ #### **For coastal adventures** : **Wembury and the King Charles III England Coast Path, Devon** Few places combine coastal scenery and wildlife quite as well as Wembury. Managed by the National Trust and part of a voluntary Marine Conservation Area, Wembury Beach is widely regarded as one of the best places in the UK for rockpooling. At low tide, families can discover an extraordinary variety of marine life, including sea anemones, crabs, starfish and small fish hidden among the rocks. The Devon Wildlife Trust’s Wembury Marine Centre helps visitors learn more about the area's rich marine environment through displays, events and guided rockpool safaris (free or for a small charge). Beyond the beach, the South West Coast path, which has been improved and is now part of the King Charles III England Coast Path. Here you will find spectacular walks, such as the popular ⁠Wembury to Heybrook Bay Walk with views across Plymouth Sound and out to the iconic Great Mewstone island. **Getting there:** The No.48 bus runs from Plymouth city centre. The Yealm ferry (for foot passengers and bikes) runs between Noss Mayo, Newton Ferrers and Wembury between 1st April and 30th Sept. By car follow the A379 through Elburton, then signs to Wembury Beach. The car park can fill quickly so arriving early is recommended. _Adonis Blue butterfly. © Mark Taylor_ #### **For wildflowers and butterflies** : **Pewsey Downs National Nature Reserve, Wiltshire** The steep sunny slopes of Pewsey Downs are the perfect place to spot butterflies dancing among colourful wildflowers this summer. Keep your eyes peeled for the electric Adonis Blue fluttering past and keen noses might catch the rich scent of wild thyme and marjoram drifting on the breeze. With spectacular views stretching across to Salisbury Plain, you can also get up close to the Alton Barnes White Horse, one of the eight famous white horses still visible in Wiltshire today. These hills are not for the faint-hearted, however, so a visit here may suit families with older children more than little ones in buggies. **Getting there:** Pewsey Downs has a free car park near Alton Barnes village (Postcode SN8 4LU) and buses from Pewsey train station run to Alton Barnes, about one mile south of the reserve. _Ebbor’s willow bear._ **For rocky scrambles and epic views** : **Ebbor Gorge, Mendip Hills** Not far from its famous cousin, Cheddar Gorge, is the lesser known but equally impressive Ebbor Gorge. Paths wind their way through the dramatic limestone cliffs while small streams and rocky climbs make for exciting scrambling. Make it to the top and you will be rewarded with stunning views across the landscape. See if you can spot the willow bear sculpture lurking in the woods, representing the beasts that once roamed these lands, and the many fossils that have been found in the local caves. **Getting there** : There is a free car park at the gorge, which is locked at dusk (Postcode BA5 1AY). _Wildflower meadow at Coosebean Woodland. © Chris Waddle, NE_ **For an oasis in the city** : **Urban nature walks in Truro, Cornwall** For walks close to the city centre, Daubuz Moor offers riverside meadows, wetlands, wildflowers and woodland along the River Allen ideal for pushchairs, wheelchairs and short family walks. Coosebean Woodland has riverside paths, woodland trails and open green spaces. Visit Truro also has suggestions for stunning coast and countryside walks within 10 miles of Truro.**** **Getting there:** Daubuz Moor is a 5-10 min walk north from Truro Cathedral to the gate on Moresk Road. For Coosebean Woodland follow the riverside path upstream from near Victoria Gardens or cross the footbridge from Truro railway station. Gate at the end of St George’s Road. Or use Coosebean Lane for a pram- or wheelchair-friendly path. #### **A few more favourites** We can’t mention everything so here are a few more of our favourite low cost, accessible places to visit in the South West this summer. * **Dorset:** **Studland Bay and Godlingston Heath** - a stunning stretch of heath and dune backing onto golden sands, right on the King Charles III England Coast Path, and reachable by the seasonal open-top bus from Bournemouth or Swanage. * **Wiltshire:** **Cotley Hill National Nature Reserve** - a hidden gem of chalk grassland near Warminster, home to rare orchids and a Bronze Age hillfort, with Warminster's rail and bus links putting it within easy reach of public transport. * **Somerset:** **Bridgwater Bay** - vast tidal mudflats and saltmarsh teeming with wading birds, sitting alongside the England Coast Path, and accessible by local community transport schemes from Bridgwater. * **Avon and Mendip:** **Chapel Wood NNR** - a peaceful pocket of ancient woodland near Chipping Sodbury, rich in birdlife come summer, with Yate station and connecting bus routes offer * **Cornwall** : **Lizard NNR** – see the Natural Lizard website for events, walks and places to visit on The Lizard peninsula. Lizard Point has an accessible track and volunteer-staffed lookout point for seals and other wildlife. ing an easy approach from Bristol. * **Devon: Pebblebed Heaths and the Otter Estuary -** for a stunning mix of heathland, wetland and coastal scenery. Accessible paths, viewing points and circular routes suitable for all ages make for a relaxed day out close to Exeter. For information visit Pebblebed Heaths Conservation Trust website.**** * **Devon: Yarner Wood, East Dartmoor National Nature Reserve -** in England's first National Nature Reserve, enjoy a network of easy walking routes, including the 2km accessible Miles Without Stiles trail. Offering bird hides, a pond-dipping area, woodland artwork and peaceful picnic spots. * * * _If you are visiting the coast, rivers or other open water, check local conditions, weather and tide times, follow safety signs and choose a lifeguarded beach where possible. Consult with_ Tide Times_to help plan your visit, and read up on_ water safety advice_before you set out._ _With the recent dry, hot weather, wildfire risk is high across the countryside. Please pack a picnic instead of a barbecue, take your rubbish home with you, and if you spot an unattended fire, get to a safe place and call 999._ _Remember to always follow the_  Countryside Code_when you’re out and about in nature!_

**_By Dougal McNeill, Principal Officer, Agri-Environment Delivery, Natural England_** * * * _This blog explains and breaks down the role of Defra, RPA and NE in the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier process, while also discussing some of the benefits and challenges of the scheme._ * * * Farming is challenging and in uncertain times the challenges become more acute and the appetite for risk diminishes. The challenges posed by drought have been especially acute this summer with government announcing drought support for farmers earlier in August. Anyone who works with farmers and land managers knows that the decisions you face - about your land, your business, your livelihoods - are rarely straightforward. So, when a scheme like Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) comes along, I understand why the first reaction might be: is this worth the effort? I want to explain what Natural England is doing to make sure the answer is yes, if it’s right for your business. As well as explain our roles. _English white park on a grassland restoration site near Hartington Peak District. © Daniel Derrig, NE_ #### **CSHT is a team effort** **Defra sets the policy direction and priorities for the** **scheme** - how it fits alongside other options like the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Landscape Recovery. Defra's ambition is clear: CSHT should drive high-impact environmental outcomes, targeting the land and habitats where it can make the biggest difference. **The RPA administers the scheme** - managing applications, processing agreements and handling payments. They are also working to improve the application service over time making the process clearer and more straightforward. **Natural England's role is the specialist advisory one** - our advisers work directly with farmers and land managers to assess what is possible on your land, help shape agreements that are genuinely right for your farm, and provide the expert, site-specific guidance that neither a policy document nor an online portal can replace. We also work alongside the Forestry Commission, Environment Agency and Historic England, where woodland, water and heritage are part of the picture. The joined-up approach is what makes the scheme function, and we are committed to improving it further. #### **What CSHT is - and what it isn't** CSHT is not a one-size-fits-all scheme. It is designed for farmers and land managers who want to do something ambitious for nature on their land - whether that is restoring peatland, managing ancient grassland, supporting wading birds, or improving water quality along a river. It rewards you for the real environmental value your land can deliver, not simply for owning it. It sits alongside simpler options like the Sustainable Farming Incentive, and it is not right for everyone. That is precisely why the advice we offer matters so much. We are not here to sign you up to something that does not fit your farm or your goals. We are here to help you work out whether CSHT is right for you -and if it is, to support you through every step. _© _Daniel Derrig,_ NE_ #### **The difference good advice makes** Since the scheme opened for applications in September 2025, our advisers have engaged with over 850 potential agreement holders across England. More than 600 have received personalised pre-application advice, and 430 agreements are now live and delivering for nature. What makes me proud is not just the numbers. It is the feedback we hear from farmers about what that advice actually meant to them. One farmer told us: > _"The most helpful information was a timeline provided by a Natural England adviser which explained the process of the pre-application advice and specific details on what was required at each stage. It gave specific information rather than a generalised overview, which doesn't help."_ That says everything. Farmers need clarity and practical guidance — not general information that leaves them none the wiser. That is what our advisers work hard to provide. One farmer described the adviser relationship simply: > _"Her enthusiasm for improving nature on the farm really energised us to do more, and we are pleased and proud to be in the first round of the new CSHT."_ While another customer explained what the adviser partnership meant to them: > _"Without Natural England's help we couldn't have done all this for nature, and it has been beneficial for the health of our farm as well."_ These are not exceptional cases. They reflect what happens when farmers and advisers work together, honestly and practically, towards a shared goal. _English Longhorns in a woodland pasture restoration scheme as part of a CSHT agreement. © Daniel Derrig, NE_ #### **Being straight about the challenges** I would not be doing my job if I pretended everything is straightforward. Demand for CSHT is growing, and our resources are under real pressure. A significant wave of expiring agreements is approaching and managing that alongside new applications will require careful prioritisation across Natural England, RPA and Defra collectively. We are also working to find smarter ways to reach more farmers without reducing the quality of advice. New approaches — like simpler single-action agreements for species-rich grassland and working with partners to help prepare pre-application advice that Natural England then reviews — are part of how we plan to extend our reach. These are practical solutions, not shortcuts. The quality of the advice remains non-negotiable. #### **Looking ahead together** We have already identified more than 800 farmers and land managers to receive pre-application advice in the coming months, and we are working centrally to coordinate larger organisations so they can apply more efficiently too. Defra, RPA and Natural England are aligned on what needs to happen next. The scheme is improving, the relationships are strong, and the momentum is real. But what matters most is the relationship with you. Our advisers are committed to working alongside you, to help you make the right decisions for your land and your business. We are here to help with advice - not to add to your challenges, but to make it as straightforward as it can be. **See Defra Farming Blog and GOV.UK for more details:** * **See Defra Farming Blog and how you can express your interest in Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier** * **CSHT Guidance**

_**By Marian Spain, CEO of Natural England**_ * * * _In this blog, NE's Chief Executive Marian Spain reflects on her recent visit to healthcare sites in Bristol to explore how partners are incorporating nature into health and wellbeing, and discusses Natural England's role in this._ * * * _Marian Spain (right), Natural England Chief Executive Officer, and Mathew Page (left), Deputy Chief Executive, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, at the community allotment at Southmead Hospital, Bristol._ One of the moments that stayed with me from my visit to Bristol was sitting in the greenhouse in the community allotment at Southmead Hospital and hearing how this green space on a busy hospital estate has become a place of calm, connection and recovery for patients, staff and local people. It was a powerful reminder that nature is not a nice-to-have in healthcare. It is part of what helps people feel well, recover well and live well. Across my day in Bristol, I saw how partners are bringing nature and health closer together from a specialist mental health ward, to a community-focused GP practice, to one of the country’s largest hospital estates. For too long, nature and health have often been treated as separate issues. But the evidence, and the lived experience of communities across England, tell us something different. Access to nature supports our physical health, our mental wellbeing and our quality of life. In fact, 90% of adults in England say green and natural spaces are good for their mental health and wellbeing. That is why Natural England’s new strategy, Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security, champions creating healthier places for people to live, work and spend time. #### **Nature is part of our health infrastructure** When we think about healthcare, we naturally think about hospitals, GP surgeries, medicines and treatments. All of those are vital. But we also need to recognise the role nature plays in supporting health and wellbeing long before people need clinical care. A walk in a local park, access to a community garden, or time spent in a wildlife-rich green space can all make a positive difference to people's lives. Yet access to nature is not experienced equally. One in five households do not have access to a green or blue space within a 15-minute walk, with the greatest inequalities often affecting more deprived communities. At Natural England, we want everyone to have the opportunity to access and benefit from nature, whatever their postcode. We also know that healthy natural environments can strengthen communities, support economic growth and build resilience to climate change. That is why investment in nature should be seen as investment in healthy places and people. _Natural England staff and partners at Southmead Hospital, Bristol._ #### **Seeing what's possible** What I saw in Bristol showed how this ambition can be translated into practical action. At Blackberry Hill Hospital, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust has incorporated nature into the design and operation of the new Kingfisher Ward, recognising the role that nature-rich environments can play in supporting recovery and wellbeing. At Charlotte Keel Medical Centre, partners including Alive Activities and the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority have helped transform an outdoor courtyard space, demonstrating how even busy urban healthcare settings can create opportunities for connecting with nature. Over lunch they described to me what a difference it makes to the quality of breaks at work for staff, and how the courtyard garden has supported patients, some of whom now volunteer their time to look after the space. And at Southmead Hospital, North Bristol NHS Trust is showing how a major healthcare estate can work harder for both people and Nature through community allotments, green infrastructure and biodiversity improvements that support health, wellbeing and environmental outcomes. Each project was different, but the message was consistent: when organisations work together, nature can become part of everyday care, not an optional extra. What impressed me most was the strength of the partnerships behind this work. Across Bristol, NHS organisations, local government, public health teams, community groups and environmental organisations are collaborating around a shared vision. Through initiatives such as green social prescribing, nature-based health projects and wider place-based partnerships, they are demonstrating how health and nature objectives can reinforce one another. #### **Better outcomes for people and nature** What gives me optimism is that this is not a choice between helping people or helping nature. The most successful examples deliver both. Creating greener places can improve wellbeing, support biodiversity, strengthen community resilience and help us adapt to climate change at the same time. These are not competing goals. They are mutually reinforcing. Research suggests that regular access to greenspace could reduce GP visits by 28% and save the NHS an estimated £2.1 billion each year. At a time when health services are under increasing pressure, this is a powerful reminder that prevention matters just as much as treatment. To support organisations looking to take practical action, Natural England has worked with NHS England and the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare to develop the Nature for Health Resource Hub, bringing together tools, guidance and case studies that help healthcare sites improve their green spaces. The people I met in Bristol are showing what that looks like in practice, with commitment, imagination and care. There is much we can learn from them. _Marian Spain speaking with partners at Southmead Hospital, Bristol._ #### **Our commitment** Natural England's ambition is clear: we want nature to be part of everyday life for everyone. That means restoring nature, improving access to green and blue spaces, and working with partners across the health, planning, environmental and local government sectors to tackle inequalities and improve wellbeing. The examples I saw in Bristol show what is possible. The challenge now is to build on these successes and make them the norm rather than the exception. #### Find out more Visit the Nature for Health Resource Hub: https://nhsforest.org/resources/ Discover Green Social Prescribing tools and resources: https://socialprescribingacademy.org.uk/resources/launch-of-green-social-prescribing-innovation-community/

**By Ruth Waters, Regional Director for the North of England, Operations Directorate, Natural England** * * * _The UK is facing a growing wildfire crisis this year, with prolonged hot, dry weather fuelling blazes across our moors, farmland and urban parks. This blog explores why wildfires are becoming more frequent and severe, the role climate change plays in heightening the risk, and the wider consequences for our landscapes and water supplies. It also sets out what Natural England is doing to reduce wildfire risk on its nature reserves, and how partnerships are helping to tackle the issue on the ground._ * * * This year we are experiencing large scale wildfires devastating the UK’s landscapes, from our moors and dales to farmland and urban parks. Prolonged hot and dry weather has provided the ideal conditions for fires to take hold, which we have also seen in mainland Europe. France has declared their ongoing wildfire situation as the worst crisis to face the country since the Second World War. #### What are wildfires and why have there been so many recently? In the UK the term “wildfire” means any uncontrolled blaze on vegetation that needs action to extinguish. Virtually all wildfires in this country are caused by human activity, from the careless (e.g. negligent use of barbecues) to the deliberate (e.g. arson), as well as the inadvertent, such as agricultural equipment faults and “managed fires” (e.g. heather/grass burning) escaping control. Our own records show that there have been over 240 reported wildfires this year on our most precious sites –Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) – including a 1,500 hectares fire in the Peak District (including Dove Stone RSPB reserve) which has damaged moorland valued for its blanket bog and heathland habitats, as well as breeding populations of birds such as golden plover and merlin. This fire was started by people setting off fireworks – so far one person from Greater Manchester has been charged with multiple criminal offences relating to the incident. Most recently a fire at Dunwich Heath in Suffolk engulfed some 150 hectares, with the National Trust estimating it could take 25 years for the site to recover. At the height of the fire over 100 firefighters were needed to bring it under control, with hundreds of homes and caravans evacuated. #### The consequences of climate change Climate change is heightening the risk of wildfires. Extreme weather events are increasing, and like 2025, this summer has seen prolonged periods of dry weather alongside a series of record-breaking heatwaves across the world. On 29th July, the Environment Agency announced that more than half of England was in drought. Looking more widely, Europe has warmed almost twice as fast as the global average. A warming atmosphere combined with prolonged dry conditions accelerates moisture removal from vegetation and soils. This creates an abundance of dry fuel for blazes to take hold and spread. It’s not just the direct destruction from the fires themselves that we need to deal with. The bare, dry soil they leave behind repels water from the next rainfall event, causing run-off that can lead to soil erosion and flooding. In addition, sediment flowing into watercourses adds to the treatment costs for drinking water (over 70% of our drinking water comes from our uplands), which is then passed onto customers through higher water bills. #### What is Natural England doing right now? Bunding on The Roaches, Peak District, playing a key role in slowing the spread of a wildfire on valued peatlands. Credit: Chris Fry ##### _Reducing wildfire risks and impacts on our National Nature Reserves_ As a landowner ourselves, we continue to put measures in place on our National Nature Reserves (NNRs) to adapt and respond to increasing wildfire risk. We are responsible for the management of over 130 NNRs – not all are at high risk from wildfire, but many are and climate change will see more of our NNRs at risk of either accidental or deliberate fires. We have developed wildfire emergency plans for our high-risk reserves that have information that will help our staff and the fire service in the event of fire such as access points, key-holders and muster points. We ensure staff on high-risk sites have received specialist vegetation fire training provided through LANTRA and the Forestry Commission, and that we have the specialist equipment available to support fire and rescue services and to fight minor fires ourselves. We incorporate fire reduction measures into our core site management. This reduces the ‘fuel’ available to a fire. For example, using firebreaks of broadleaved woodland and vegetation management such as grazing and cutting to stop a fire from spreading. We use more active restoration measures to give nature a helping hand, like stone dams or bunds to hold back water in our peatlands, keeping water in the landscape for longer. Maintaining fire breaks and access routes also helps move firefighting equipment to isolated parts of our estate. ##### _Prevention is better than cure_ On our most vulnerable sites during periods of high fire risk, we present a more active, visible warden presence, supported by signage and publicity. This isn’t just aimed at deterring those who start fires deliberately, but at reducing the risk from accidental fires caused by discarded cigarettes or glass bottles or people using disposable barbeques. Experience has demonstrated that where we are able to provide a high-profile warden presence that engages with the public constructively, fire incidents are reduced. In extreme cases we can temporally reduce access to an area to protect the public. Cutting a Firebreak on Humberhead Peatlands National Nature Reserve ##### _Working in partnership_ We work with partners across England on a number of wildfire issues. Nationally Natural England administers the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme, working with landowners and over 100 partners to rewet and restore peatlands, which hold more water in the landscape making it more difficult for fire to spread. Natural England are also part of the England and Wales Wildfire Forum which works to expand understanding of wildfires to reduce the impact they have. At a local level, Natural England is a member of the Dorset Heaths Partnership which has been exploring ways to tackle wildfire issues since 2007. The Partnership includes site managers, the Fire and Rescue Service and the police. A volunteer member of the K9 Firewise patrol in Dorset. Credit: Dorset Dogs The partners operate a WhatsApp group to both rapidly notify managers of a wildfire incident but also to coordinate water bowsers, equipment to cut and extend firebreaks and to advise the emergency services of site hazards and sensitive areas. A dedicated partnership warden team works with local people, especially dog walkers, to rapidly report incidents and help engage with those that are unaware of the dangers of wildfire. Fire access points are all mapped and coded for ease of incident reporting and, more recently, QR codes have been added so the emergency services can get to the right locations quickly. #### What Next? A key finding of the latest adaptation report from the Climate Change Committee (CCC) - A Well-Adapted UK, is that coordination is lacking in a range of areas to manage the increasing risks to society from climate change. The report recommends the UK Government facilitates coordinated assessment and management of cascading climate risks between sectors and joint planning of the responses to extreme events (including wildfires). At Natural England we have established a new Wildfire Project Group to co-ordinate the organisation’s work on wildfires, which is multi-faceted given our statutory duties as well as our landowner role. This group will review our procedures and ensure we continue to use the best available evidence to inform our decision-making and advice to Government. It will also consider our current approaches to more short-term wildfire mitigation measures, against the backdrop of our overall aim of recovering our ecosystems to bring long-term resilience to the growing challenges of climate change. Natural England is also working closely with Defra, the Forestry Commission and Environment Agency on a co-ordinated approach to wildfire planning and response, feeding up to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) as overall department lead for wildfire.

* * * _This summer, if you’re looking for fun and accessible days out that are low-cost, then we have you covered. Not only is spending time in nature great for your wellbeing, it can also be great for your bank balance. Here are our suggestions for our favourite affordable days out in the East Midlands!_ * * * The school holidays are here, and the East Midlands has some special places to explore - many of them free or very nearly so. Whether you're after a coastal walk, ancient woodland, or a magical trail through the forest, there's something for every family this summer. Here are five of our favourite affordable days out in nature across the East Midlands. _Lincolnshire Coronation Coast NNR. © Natural England_ #### **Lincolnshire Coronation Coast National Nature Reserve** Stretching for almost 30 kilometres along the Greater Lincolnshire coast, the Lincolnshire Coronation Coast National Nature Reserve (NNR), the first in the King’s Series of NNRs, is free to visit. The reserve brings together sand dunes, saltmarsh, mudflats and freshwater marshes of international importance, and is home to natterjack toads, grey seals, and a spectacular array of birds. The reserve also forms part of the King Charles III England Coast Path (KCIIIECP), so you can combine a walk along one of England's great national trails with a chance to experience some truly special wildlife habitat. Cleethorpes and Mablethorpe neighbour the reserve, making it easily accessible and with plenty of options to grab some fish and chips before you head home! **Getting there:** The reserve is accessible from several points along the Lincolnshire coast. Cleethorpes has a train station with regular services from Lincoln and Doncaster. Mablethorpe is accessible by bus from Lincoln. _Visitors in the play area at Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire. © National Trust_ #### **Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire (National Trust)** Nestled in the ancient forest of Sherwood, Clumber Park is a picturesque 3,800-acre expanse of parkland, heath, woodland and lake that was once the country estate of the Dukes of Newcastle. This summer, it's easier than ever to get there without a car, and cheaper too. A new daily bus service links Worksop Train Station, Worksop Bus Station and Clumber Park, running every day from 25 July to 6 September 2026. Return tickets cost just £3 per person and include free admission to the park. National Trust members, under-fives, and visitors arriving at Worksop by train with a valid rail ticket all travel free and enter the park at no charge. Under 16s are free from 1 to 31 August. Once you're there, the National Trust’s Summer of Play programme offers six interactive play zones, free ukulele workshops, storytelling sessions and much more, all included with entry. This year also sees Clumber take part in a nationwide National Trust partnership with Pokémon, meaning there’s enough entertainment for children of all ages. **Getting there:** Bus service operates from Worksop Train Station (served by trains from Nottingham and Sheffield). Return bus ticket (£3) includes park entry. Service runs daily 25 July – 6 September 2026. _Bradgate Park. © Bradgate Park Trust_ #### **Bradgate Park and Swithland Wood National Nature Reserve, Leicestershire** Just a short journey from Leicester city centre, Bradgate Park is one of the region's most loved wild spaces. Spanning 438 hectares of rugged, ancient landscape, the park features ancient oak trees, roaming deer and some of the very oldest and rarest rocks on earth. The lower part of the park is accessible via a tarmac carriageway suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs, and the visitor centre tells the story of the estate's fascinating natural and human history. Both the park and the visitor centre are free to enter. This summer, families can also take part in the Moths and Butterflies Trail, running until 23 August 2026. Follow the path from Newtown Linford to the visitor centre, spot painted examples of the moths and butterflies found at Bradgate and Swithland Wood, collect hidden letters and solve the mystery moth, then claim your sticker prize at the visitor centre. It's a lovely free activity for children of all ages. **Getting there:** Newtown Linford is served by bus from Leicester city centre (Arriva service 120 from St Margaret's Bus Station). The park entrance at Newtown Linford is a short walk from the bus stop. Bradgate Park also has three car parks, charges apply. _Sherwood Pines. © David Robson, Natural England_ #### **Forestry England Sherwood Pines, Nottinghamshire** Take a stroll into the deep dark wood for a day of adventure at Sherwood Pines. The forest is free to enter, with something for everyone: three waymarked walking trails, cycling trails for all abilities, and play areas throughout the woodland. Families with young children will love the Gruffalo sculptures dotted through the trees and the Room on the Broom interactive trail, where children can help Witch find her lost hat, bow and wand while exploring the forest. Room on the Broom trail packs are available from the visitor centre for £4. **Getting there:** Sherwood Pines is near Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire. The nearest train station is Mansfield (Robin Hood Line from Nottingham), with onward bus connections via the number 14 or 15 bus from Mansfield bus station (next to the train station). If driving, car park charges apply to non-members. _Pennine Bridleway view from Middleton Top. © Pennine National Trails Partnership_ #### **The Pennine Bridleway, Derbyshire** For an accessible taste of Peak District scenery, head to Middleton Top, the southernmost start point of the Pennine Bridleway. This family-friendly, mostly flat trail follows the route of the old Cromford and High Peak Railway, and is suitable for walking, cycling or wheeling, making it a great option for families with pushchairs or wheelchair users. There's a visitor centre, café and toilets on site, plus a picnic area at the adjacent Redhill Quarry Nature Reserve. The historic Engine House is open some weekends (fees apply). Alternatively, further along the route, the picturesque village of Hayfield offers access to a short, one-mile stretch of the Sett Valley Trail, also following a former railway line through wildlife-rich woodland. The trail runs alongside the village bus station, with a handful of cafes, pubs and shops, plus a picnic area and toilets nearby. If you'd rather see more of the Peak District without the walk, the Stagecoach Peak Sightseer open-top bus is worth considering. Running daily until 19 September, it offers hop-on, hop-off travel between destinations including Chatsworth, Bakewell, Castleton and Hathersage, so you can enjoy the views and dip into a village or two without lacing up your walking boots. It isn't a free option (a family day ticket costs £38), but it's a flexible way to see a lot of the National Park in a single day. **Getting there:** Middleton Top is on local bus routes, with connections from Cromford, Matlock and Matlock Bath train stations. Hayfield's Sett Valley Trail runs alongside Hayfield bus station. The Peak Sightseer can be joined at various stops including Chatsworth and Bakewell. There are also morning journeys from Chesterfield train station and South Sheffield to Chatsworth with return journeys late afternoon. #### **A few more favourites** Of course, this is not an exhaustive list and there are so many more great places to get out in nature on our doorstep that we couldn’t possibly name them all. Here are a few more though which are family friendly and free to enter: * Whisby Nature Park near Lincoln (Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust) * Attenborough Nature Reserve near Nottingham (Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust) * Frampton Marsh near the Wash (RSPB) * Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve in Nottinghamshire (RSPB) * Sandilands Nature Reserve near Sutton on Sea (National Trust) * Watermead Country Park near Leicester * Allestree Park in Derby Or for some options even closer to home Local Nature Reserves are places valued for their wildlife or geology, designated by local councils for people to enjoy and learn from. Find your nearest one: Local Nature Reserves (England) | Natural England Open Data Geoportal * * * _With the recent dry, hot weather, wildfire risk is high across the countryside. Please pack a picnic instead of a barbecue, take your rubbish home with you, and if you spot an unattended fire, get to a safe place and call 999._ _Remember to always follow the Countryside Code when you’re out and about in nature!_ _The_** _Countryside Code_** _is a simple guide to helping everyone enjoy the outdoors responsibly while protecting the natural environment. It encourages visitors to_** _respect other people_** _,_**_protect plants, animals and habitats_** _, and_** _leave gates, paths and property as they find them_** _. By following the Countryside Code, we can all play our part in keeping nature accessible, safe and enjoyable for everyone, while helping to conserve the landscapes and wildlife that make our countryside so special._ * * *

**_By Fränze Kibowski, Senior Specialist - Social Sciences_** * * * _This blog explains the results of the recent People and Nature Blue Spaces Report, discussing how we interact with places like beaches, rivers and lakes, while looking at how the findings will influence Natural England's work._ * * * When was the last time you spent time outside near the sea, or a river? Spending time in ‘blue spaces’ - places where water is a key part of the environment, such as rivers, lakes, canals, beaches and the coast – can have positive effects on our mental and physical wellbeing. A new report from Natural England and NatCen explores how people use these spaces, what they value about them and what can make it easier for more people to visit. _Decoy Country Park. © Wendy Holland, NE_ #### **Blue spaces are important to many people** The research found that almost half of adults in England (47%) visited a blue space in the previous month, highlighting the important role these places play in people’s lives and their connection with nature. Participants consistently described blue spaces as calming and restorative. Many described visiting rivers, lakes and the coast when they wanted time to relax, reflect or cope with stress. Blue spaces support a wide range of activities and experiences, from everyday walks and ~~~~ exercise to socialising with family and friends, sightseeing, wildlife watching and connecting to nature. #### **Making blue spaces accessible for everyone** While many people enjoy blue spaces, the research found that opportunities to visit are not experienced equally across the population. At Natural England, our ambition is for access to nature to be a normal part of everyday life for everyone. This research helps us better understand the barriers some people face in visiting blue spaces and identifies opportunities to make these valuable natural environments more accessible, welcoming and inclusive. A range of factors can influence how often people visit, including access to transport (in particular a car), proximity to blue spaces, health considerations and wider socio-economic circumstances. Because many blue spaces are destinations people travel to rather than places encountered during everyday routines, transport and accessibility can play an even more important role than with green spaces. _Older lady on beach. © Wendy Holland, NE_ #### **Quality matters** The condition of blue spaces was another important theme throughout the research. Litter, pollution, poor maintenance and concerns about water quality can discourage people from spending time there. Safety was also important, particularly in winter when reduced daylight can make some places feel less accessible. People said they would be more likely to use blue spaces if they were clean, well maintained, easy to access and felt safe throughout the year. _Challaborough beach. © Wendy Holland, NE_ #### **Supporting greater engagement** The findings from the country-wide Adults’ People and Nature Survey and more in-depth focus groups both show that blue spaces have an important role to play alongside green spaces. By improving access and quality, more people can experience the health, wellbeing and nature benefits that these environments provide. This report highlights several ways to help more people benefit from blue spaces. These include improving accessibility and transport links, investing in maintenance and environmental quality, and addressing barriers faced by groups who currently visit less often. This summer, Natural England will be sharing affordable ideas and inspiration to help people access and enjoy local green and blue spaces. Whether it’s exploring a stretch of the King Charles III England Coast Path, taking a walk along a local river, so spending time beside a canal or lake, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the benefits of blue spaces. Wherever you choose to visit, please help protect these special places by following the Countryside Code and, if you're heading out on the water or to the coast, the Paddlers' Code and Marine and Coastal Wildlife Code, helping us all to Respect, Protect and Enjoy our blue spaces. The full report and a summary report can be found here.

* * * _This summer, if you’re looking for fun and accessible days out that are low-cost, then we have you covered. Not only is spending time in nature great for your wellbeing, it can also be great for your bank balance. Here are our suggestions for our favourite affordable days out in the West Midlands!_ * * * Summer is here, and the West Midlands is home to some of England's best-kept secrets when it comes to affordable, accessible nature. Whether you're after dramatic upland views, ancient woodland, or a wetland reserve buzzing with wildlife, there's something here for every family, every budget, and every level of mobility. We've picked out five brilliant places to explore this summer, all either free to enter or costing very little, and all reachable without a car if you plan ahead. _Cheltenham Escarpment, Devil's Chimney. © Mike Downey, Natural England_ #### Cheltenham Escarpment National Nature Reserve (NNR), Gloucestershire Better known locally as Leckhampton Hill and Charlton Kings Common, this is one of England's newest NNRs, designated in June 2026, and home to the legendary 'Devil's Chimney'. This striking limestone pillar is thought to have been left standing by quarry workers. Although local folklore insists it was built by the Devil himself, so he'd have somewhere to sit and throw stones at churchgoers below. Who are we to say? But we do know the site contains the thickest inland sequences of Jurassic limestone and supports nationally important limestone grassland, home to wildflowers and 33 recorded butterfly species including the rare Duke of Burgundy. The hill has panoramic views over Cheltenham, the Severn Vale and the Welsh hills and is part of the King's Series of National Nature Reserves, created to mark the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III. Entry is free, and there are paths and tracks that the whole family can explore, including a 3km walk suitable for pushchairs and wheelchair users. **Getting there:** There are four car parks on site, at Daisy Bank Road and Hartley Lane. The hill is a short distance from Cheltenham town centre and well served by local buses. _Sutton Park. © Chloe Hardman, Natural England_ #### **Sutton Park National Nature Reserve (NNR), Birmingham** One of the largest urban parks in Europe, Sutton Park is a 2,100-acre National Nature Reserve just six miles from Birmingham city centre, and it's completely free to visit. Inside you'll find heathland, woodland, seven lakes, and even grazing cattle and wild ponies. There's a 5-kilometre walking route and two playgrounds, making it ideal for younger children. The visitor centre has toilets, baby changing facilities and maps to help you find your way. The park forms part of Purple Horizons, a Natural England-led nature recovery project working to connect Sutton Park with Cannock Chase, creating a wildlife corridor across the West Midlands urban fringe. **Getting there:** The Town Gate entrance is a seven-minute walk from Sutton Coldfield train station, which is accessible via a twenty-minute train from Birmingham New Street. Buses 6, 935, 937, X3 and X5 also stop nearby. #### Hall Green Naturehood Trail, Birmingham (National Trust and Go Jauntly) For an option even closer to Birmingham city centre, try the Hall Green Naturehood Trail, a free 4.7km circular walk created by the National Trust in partnership with the Go Jauntly app. The route links green and blue spaces across Hall Green, starting at the historic Sarehole Mill, one of Birmingham's last two working watermills. Along the way you'll pass the River Cole, wildflower meadows, and Trittiford Mill Pool, home to swans, ducks and dragonflies. The trail includes fun prompts for families, from birdwatching tips to "cloud-spotting." Download the free app for step-by-step directions or print the PDF guide in advance. **Getting there:** The walk starts at Sarehole Mill, with a bus stop directly outside served by routes 5 and 11C Outer Circle. _Brandon Marsh. © Warwickshire Wildlife Trust_ #### **Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve, Coventry (Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Wildlife Trust)** Brandon Marsh is a Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Wildlife Trust reserve known for its pools, reedbeds and woodland, and home to kingfishers, otters and muntjac deer. Two surfaced trails, the Kingfisher Trail and the Woodpecker Trail, make this a great choice for buggies, wheelchairs and mobility scooters, and the reserve even offers free mobility scooter loans if you call ahead. Nine bird hides give you the chance to get up close to the wildlife, and the visitor centre has a café, shop and picnic area to round off your visit. Entry costs £4.75 for adults, with concessions and family tickets available, and it's free for Wildlife Trust members. **Getting there:** Brandon Marsh is on Brandon Lane, Coventry, with an on-site car park. Bike parking is also available. _Stiperstones Landscape NNR. @ Stephen Gledhill, Natural England_ **Stiperstones Landscape National Nature Reserve (NNR), Shropshire** Stiperstones covers 1,562 hectares of dramatic upland heath, ancient woodland and rare geology along the Shropshire Hills. It's part of the King's Series and is managed by a partnership including Natural England, Forestry England, Shropshire Wildlife Trust and local community groups. Entry is free. Start at the NNR car park, where you'll find a 650-metre all-ability trail alongside longer walking routes if you fancy tackling the full ridge. Keep an eye out for the legendary Devil's Chair, a rock formation shattered by ice-age freezing that has inspired ghost stories for centuries, and look out for red grouse, emperor moths and the increasingly rare bilberry bumblebee along the way. If you'd rather leave the car at home, the Shropshire Hills Shuttle Bus runs every weekend from May to September, taking in the Long Mynd, Carding Mill Valley and Stiperstones itself, with adult tickets from £2 and free travel for under-16s. It's a brilliant, low-cost way to see some of Shropshire's best scenery without worrying about parking. **Getting there:** The reserve is 3km east of the A488, with car parking available at the main NNR car park, the Bog, and Snailbeach. Alternatively, catch the Shropshire Hills Shuttle Bus from Church Stretton. #### **A couple more favourites** Chapter Meadows Nature Reserve in Worcester sits alongside the River Severn, just a mile from Worcester Foregate Street train station. Painswick Beacon in Gloucestershire is the site of an Iron Age hillfort, standing 283 metres high with some of the best 360-degree views in the Cotswolds. Painswick Beacon is on a bus route, and you can download the Gloucestershire Walks app for a map to guide you. Or for some options even closer to home Local Nature Reserves are places valued for their wildlife or geology, designated by local councils for people to enjoy and learn from. Find your nearest one: Local Nature Reserves (England) | Natural England Open Data Geoportal * * * _With the recent dry, hot weather, wildfire risk is high across the countryside. Please pack a picnic instead of a barbecue, take your rubbish home with you, and if you spot an unattended fire, get to a safe place and call 999._ _Remember to always follow the Countryside Code when you’re out and about in nature!_ _The_** _Countryside Code_** _is a simple guide to helping everyone enjoy the outdoors responsibly while protecting the natural environment. It encourages visitors to_** _respect other people_** _,_**_protect plants, animals and habitats_** _, and_** _leave gates, paths and property as they find them_** _. By following the Countryside Code, we can all play our part in keeping nature accessible, safe and enjoyable for everyone, while helping to conserve the landscapes and wildlife that make our countryside so special._ * * *

**By Angela Gall - Marine Senior Officer, Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Area Team** * * * _Off the south coast of Cornwall, in the cold, clear water, lie some of England's least-known natural treasures: the maerl beds. Earlier this summer, our dive team's work there caught the attention of the BBC, who came to film one of the most significant discoveries our surveys have produced, a species of seaweed new to science, alongside several other rare and long-absent finds. This blog looks at what was found, why these ancient, fragile beds matter, and what the work to understand and protect them means for the future._ * * * In the cold, clear water off the south coast of Cornwall lies one of England's most extraordinary and least-known natural treasures: Maerl beds. The pink, branching rhodoliths - free-living, calcified red seaweed - lie loose across the sediment in interlocking drifts, building up over centuries into structures that support an astonishing wealth of marine life. Earlier this summer, the BBC came to film our dive team at work on these remarkable habitats to break the news about one of the most exciting scientific discoveries our surveys have ever produced. Loading up the boat for a day of diving and filming. Credit: Angela Gall - Natural England **A species new to science, found right on our doorstep** Our underwater surveys here have uncovered something very special: a tiny red seaweed, a species of Ceramium (pincer weed), that is completely new to science. Just a few millimetres across, its tiny size means it has never been formally identified until now. It took our divers bringing up living fragments to the surface, careful cultivation in the lab, and DNA sequencing to finally confirm what it was. The new species of Ceramium seaweed found by the Natural England Dive Team. Credit: Francis Bunker It's a finding that has delighted world-leading seaweed taxonomy authority Professor Christine Maggs, who told us: "I first encountered this tiny Ceramium in the early 1980s, and I have been wondering about it ever since. Natural England's surveys finally provided the missing piece of a scientific puzzle I've been trying to solve for most of my career." The new species of Ceramium seaweed under the microscope, showing the reproductive parts found for the first time during filming. Credit: Debbie Winton - Natural England The Ceramium wasn't the only significant find. The surveys also recorded Ulva rigida, a green sea lettuce never previously confirmed in the UK; _Neofolia rosea_ (little rosy tongue weed), only found once before in the UK, also on in the Fal Estuary; and _Bonnemaisonia clavata_ , a delicate red seaweed not seen in British waters since the 18th century. Far from being fringe curiosities, their presence reveals the richness of life these maerl beds support, why they matter and what condition they are in. Our Senior Marine Officer Angie Gall explains: "We've already recorded more than 380 species living on the surface of the maerl beds, and that's only the beginning. Many more species live within the maerl itself or appear at different times of year." **The BBC joins the dive team** On an overcast morning in early June, BBC News journalist Harriet Bradshaw and camera operator Tony Jolliffe joined us aboard our survey vessel off the Cornish coast to film our dive team in action, surveying the maerl beds. Our team of scientific divers were also joined by seaweed expert Francis Bunker, who first identified the new Ceramium species during the original surveys. Filming interviews on the boat with the BBC. Credit: Francis Bunker The BBC had already visited the Natural History Museum, where they filmed Professor Maggs and Professor Juliet Brodie, exploring the archival and scientific process behind formally describing a new species. Old pressed specimens and historical records are all part of the long paper trail that connects a new find to everything that came before it. Our filming on and under the water completed the picture, showing the fieldwork, the marine habitats and the people behind the discovery. What happened back in the field lab that evening underlines how much these beds still have to reveal. Examining samples brought up from the seabed, Francis found another specimen of the same Ceramium, and this time it carried tetrasporangia: specialised reproductive structures (sporangia) found in certain seaweeds (particularly red algae), which had not been found before. Examining the new species under the microscope, in the field lab later the same day. Credit: Debbie Winton - Natural England **Why maerl matters** Maerl beds are among the most biodiverse shallow-water habitats in the entire north-east Atlantic. The pink, twiggy rhodoliths that form these beds grow about half a millimetre a year and some beds in the Fal Estuary are estimated to be up to 4,000 years old, pre-dating much of recorded British history. They act as nurseries for young fish and shellfish, provide shelter for a vast range of marine life, and lock away carbon in their sediments. The extensive healthy maerl bed in the Fal Estuary, taken by Natural England divers on the day of filming. Credit Angela Gall - Natural England The vast majority of England's maerl is concentrated along Cornwall's south coast, and Natural England's work since 2023 has already led to the discovery of extensive areas of previously unknown maerl beds within and around the Falmouth Bay to St Austell Bay Special Protection Area - a reminder that even in well-studied waters, significant ecosystems can remain hidden. These are, as Angie describes them, "living archives of our natural history." Yet they are also fragile. Physical disturbance, pollution, and climate change all pose ongoing threats. As Francis Bunker, who discovered the new Ceramium, reflected: "Finding species new to science in our waters is thrilling. But it also shows how much biodiversity is still hidden in these beds and what we stand to lose if these habitats are damaged before we've fully understood them." **Where the work goes next** The BBC story is part of a much bigger picture. Over the past two years, Natural England has been working intensively with partners to understand, map, and protect Cornwall's maerl beds. This has included detailed dive surveys and seabed mapping across the Falmouth Bay to St Austell Bay Special Protection Area and Fal and Helford Special Area of Conservation and the publication of the Cornwall Maerl Conservation Action Plan 2025–2030. The Action Plan was developed through the UK's first dedicated Maerl Forum, led by Natural England, bringing together scientists, marine managers, conservationists, and policymakers. It sets out a shared framework for protecting Cornwall's maerl over the next five years, covering everything from monitoring and water quality to improving sustainability of fishing in the area, research into habitat restoration and public engagement. Whole genome sequencing at the University of Exeter has mapped distinct maerl populations across south-west Britain, discovering a genetically unique population found only in St Mawes. This research, to be published soon, is directly informing advice to marine managers and contributing to national programmes including the ‘30by30’ global commitment to protect and properly care for 30% of land and sea by 2030, and the UK government’s Marine Protected Area Network Review. Maerl and snakelocks anemone. Credit: Angela Gall - Natural England There is still much more to discover and much more to do. But what we do know is that maerl is a precious, important and irreplaceable habitat that is slowly giving up its secrets, with further exciting discoveries likely. As these latest findings show, the rewards for this careful, patient scientific work can be extraordinary: species hidden for centuries, or unknown to science entirely, waiting to be found in the waters just off our coast. * * * Look out for the BBC News story on iPlayer. To find out more about our maerl work, see the Cornwall Maerl Conservation Action Plan and visit the Cornwall Maerl website.

**_By_** **_Esther Smith, Senior Officer, Health and Environment (North East and Yorkshire)_** * * * _This blog outlines the importance of green spaces in improving health and wellbeing, with a focus on occupational therapy, while showcasing some of the amazing projects in this field._ * * * _Kelly Barker, Chief Operating Officer and Joseph Courtney, Green Therapy Project Development Officer (incognito as otter) enjoying some time by the canal in Saltaire. © Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust_ Natural England's Strategy aims to improve health and wellbeing by enabling more people to connect with, access and benefit from nature. As part of this, we are working with NHS organisations providing expert advice and early-stage funding to help develop nature-based health initiatives. Across the NHS, there is growing interest in nature-based approaches and therapies that support physical and mental health. High-quality green spaces can play an important role in promoting wellbeing, aiding recovery, and helping to reduce health inequalities. Oliver Harmar, Chief Strategy Officer at Natural England, said: > "Nature really is our Natural Health Service, and its economic and social value in delivering health benefits is huge. Being in and around green spaces is genuinely transformative for both our mental and physical wellbeing, easing anxiety, lifting our mood, and supporting recovery after illness. The programmes we're seeing in Bradford and beyond show exactly why nature-based approaches deserve a central place in how we think about health. With a 10-year gap in life expectancy across the Bradford district alone, and the NHS's 10-year plan rightly prioritising prevention, partnerships connecting people with nature offer a real opportunity to close that gap, delivering one of the most powerful, cost-effective ways to support people's health and wellbeing." Green spaces offer powerful settings for occupational therapy, supporting people to manage everyday activities whether they are recovering from illness, living with a disability, facing mental health challenges or adapting to later life. Operational colleagues across our area teams are increasingly working alongside occupational therapists as part of our health and environment programme. The examples below show how these partnerships are opening up nature to more people through their occupational therapy treatment. #### **Bradford Green Therapy Programme** The Green Therapy initiative is woven into the occupational therapy curriculum and embedded across Bradford District Care Trust more widely. It brings together health, environmental and community organisations including Aire Rivers Trust, Forestry England, Canal & River Trust, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, YorGreen CIC, Word Up North and Pieces Project. With initial funding from Natural England for a student placement, the initiative has since expanded to include: * The Nature in Mind programme with Bradford and Craven Mind, creating two nature support worker posts and four nature-based groups supporting participants weekly. * A partnership with the specialist Mother and Babies Team to develop a new nature-based intervention. * Funding from the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare for a Nature Ranger role, supporting activities across inpatient mental health sites while strengthening links with local nature recovery initiatives. * Weekly allotment groups, with plans underway to develop two more sites. * Workforce development, through a nature therapy training programme developed with Mind, alongside Horticultural training delivered by Thrive. Kelly Barker, Chief Operating Officer at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: > _“I have seen first-hand the positive impact that nature-based therapies can have on both the people who use our services and the staff who support them. These approaches help people build confidence, improve wellbeing, and reconnect with their communities. By bringing people together in nature, we are supporting healthier lives and stronger communities. I am incredibly proud of the colleagues, volunteers and partners making this work possible.”_ Watch this video to find out more. A participant in the allotment group said: > _“A positive response for my mental health... I look forward to the allotment each week giving me a purpose to get up in a morning...! I love being at one with nature, bird watching, music, collecting insects, photography, crafts, art, walking, planting, and canoeing!”_ #### **Building the case for green therapy** Natural England is partnering with a range of organisations to develop and expand green therapy approaches: * A Northumbria University student placement is uncovering new nature-based opportunities within National Nature Reserves. * South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is exploring occupational therapy placements to strengthen its Active Hospitals programme and deliver on its Green Plan. * A partnership with the University of Worcester is bringing outdoor classrooms, a community orchard and future nature prescription initiatives with the RSPB to life. * At Newcastle's NHS Freeman Hospital, the Centre for Sustainable Health is working alongside Occupational Therapists to help patients reconnect with the natural world through the power of scent. * Occupational Therapy students from the University of Huddersfield are testing new approaches to connecting children with nature, producing recommendations, training resources and transition materials to shape community engagement through the National Health Innovation Campus and developing a nature connection pack with the Canal & River Trust. _Left to right: Bethany Hill Senior Occupational Therapist, Julie Coram Occupational Therapist Home Group, Emma Armstrong Occupational Therapy Student and Gem Kilbride, Health Officer Natural England. © Natural England_ #### **Looking ahead: driving innovation** Two events planned for autumn 2026 will help shape the future of green therapy. A roundtable will bring together NHS organisations, universities and placement hosts to explore new opportunities, while a wider stakeholder webinar will showcase green occupational therapy projects, research and partnerships from across the country. Together, these reflect growing momentum behind nature-based approaches in occupational therapy and the power of partnership to improve health outcomes and deepen connections between people, places and communities.

_**By Marian Spain, Chief Executive, Natural England**_ * * * _In this blog, NE Chief Executive Marian Spain reflects on her visit to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP), alongside senior leaders from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the National Trust, to see firsthand the amazing benefits of the Nature Towns and Cities programme._ * * * What makes a great place to live? Increasingly, the answer includes easy access to nature. In Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP), residents benefit from an extensive network of parks, green spaces and coastal habitats; spaces that support health, wellbeing and community life, and help people connect with nature close to home. But what does it really take to make that happen at scale, and to sustain it? That was the question in my mind this week when I joined Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and Hilary McGrady, Director General of the National Trust, the founding partners of Nature Towns and Cities to visit BCP Council and see firsthand what becomes possible when local ambition meets national partnership. _Left to right: Eilish McGuinness, CEO of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Cllr Millie Earl, Leader of BCP Council, Hilary McGrady, Director General at National Trust and Marian Spain CEO Natural England at Hengitsbury Head, Nature Reserve, Dorset. © BCP Council_ #### **A national leader for urban nature** In 2025, BCP became the first place to receive official Nature Towns accreditation. This recognition reflects more than a decade of work embedding nature into planning, public health, climate resilience, and community life, with results to show for it. It goes far beyond planting trees or maintaining parks. Since 2023, BCP Council and its local partners have gone further still, helping to shape the Nature Towns and Cities programme at a national level, acting as pioneer and mentor to urban areas across the country. #### **Transforming parks and communities** Across a population of 409,000, BCP and its partners are delivering an ambitious green transformation. The council is upgrading fourteen urban parks into multi-functional community hubs, blending nature-friendly planting with community cafes and volunteering opportunities. The BCP Nature Pledge empowers residents, businesses, and schools to turn their own outdoor spaces into wildlife havens. And major landscape-scale projects including the Stour Valley Park and Littletown Greenway now connect fragmented green corridors across the area. _Picture of Redhill Park Bournemouth © James Dobson, National Trust Images_ Each of BCP's parks and green spaces generates around £20 of health and wellbeing value per visit, underlining the economic as well as social case for this investment. #### **Nature as preventative infrastructure** BCP faces real challenges. The area has significant health and social inequalities, including a nine-year gap in male life expectancy between its most and least deprived communities. Access to green space is uneven, with canopy cover lowest in some of the borough's most disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The council increasingly views nature not as an amenity but as preventative infrastructure, something that supports physical and mental health, reduces inequalities, and strengthens community resilience. Targeted investment in areas like West Howe and Kinson deliberately prioritises those who have historically had least access to quality green space. #### **A model for towns and cities everywhere** As one of England's most densely populated urban areas, BCP's success in embedding nature into a constrained urban environment carries a powerful message for towns and cities facing similar pressures around growth, climate resilience, and public health. The question BCP has answered, not just in strategy documents but on the ground, is whether genuinely nature-rich urban places are achievable at scale. The answer is clearly yes. Urban areas across the country are now taking the approaches pioneered here and adapting them to their own contexts, demonstrating that a greener, healthier, and more resilient urban future is within reach, wherever you are. Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: > "It was fantastic to discover how closely council leaders, local charities, volunteers and community champions are working together to reimagine the role of nature in people’s everyday lives. BCP are creating a Nature Towns and Cities partnership model that will lead by example UK-wide, showing how investing in green spaces can strengthen local pride, improve natural heritage and biodiversity and drive economic growth. It’s thanks to players of the National Lottery that the Heritage Fund can spearhead funding to support urban communities in their drive to save our precious natural heritage for all to enjoy." What BCP has pioneered, towns and cities across the country are now making their own. The model is scalable, the benefits are real, and the ambition is national. Over the next decade, Nature Towns and Cities will work with one hundred urban areas across the UK so that many more communities can enjoy the healthier, greener, more resilient places they deserve. Visit the website to find out more: Home - Nature Towns and Cities

_**By Matthew Heard, National Delivery Director, Natural England**_ * * * _Hen Harriers are one of the UK’s rarest birds of prey. However, they are at the centre of a long-running conflict because they prey on red grouse, which are managed for grouse shooting. To help address this problem, Natural England and its partners have explored approaches that could support both Hen Harrier conservation and sustainable grouse shooting. This blog explains the results of the 'brood management' trial, which concluded that this activity contributed to increased numbers of nesting Hen Harriers on some grouse moors, and presents the full evaluation report which has now been published_. * * * Hen Harriers are iconic birds of upland landscapes, yet they remain at the centre of one of England’s most intractable human–wildlife conflicts. Despite being protected by law, they are illegally killed because they are predators of red grouse, and law enforcement alone has not been successful in improving their numbers. Therefore, we have been working with our partners to explore ways of reducing the impact of Hen Harriers on grouse shoots, to support thriving Hen Harrier populations that coexist with sustainable grouse shooting. One method, known as 'brood management', has been trialed in recent years as an avenue to improving tolerance of Hen Harriers on grouse moors. _Hen Harrier. © Natural England_ #### **What is Brood Management?** Brood management reduces Hen Harrier nest density on grouse moors by temporarily removing the eggs and/or broods of chicks under licence, rearing them in captivity, and releasing the young birds back into the wild at a suitable location, once they are able to fly and disperse. Providing a lawful way to reduce predation of nesting Hen Harriers on grouse promotes coexistence between grouse moor interests and Hen Harriers. #### **The Brood Management Trial – recap of the evidence gathered** Brood management was trialed under licence in northern England between 2018 and 2024, through a partnership of Natural England, the Moorland Association, the International Centre for Birds of Prey, the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Hawk & Owl Trust. The final reports of the trial have now been published. Headline results were published in 2025: * During the trial, Hen Harrier numbers increased substantially in areas managed for grouse shooting where brood management was available (but not in other areas). * Illegal killing continued throughout the trial, but no crime hotspots were identified within brood management areas. * Although the act of safely rearing a small number of chicks in captivity probably made a small contribution to population growth, the numbers involved were too low to explain the increase in nesting pairs that took place over this period. Research by the British Trust for Ornithology suggests the increase was more likely driven by higher survival rates and greater settlement and breeding by wild birds. * At the end of the trial, Natural England and its independent Natural England Science Advisory Committee (NESAC) concluded that the availability of brood management had probably contributed to population growth, primarily through reduced nest disturbance and improved settlement on some grouse moors. * NESAC advised that the widespread use and awareness of satellite tagging and monitoring as part of the trial likely contributed to reduced disturbance and improved breeding success. Importantly, the effects of the availability of brood management could not be fully separated from those of the accompanying tagging and monitoring programme. _Brood managed hen harrier chick. © Natural England_ #### **Review of the evidence for brood management** Natural England recognises that brood management is controversial. Concerns include whether brood management addresses the underlying drivers of illegal killing, whether it distracts from the need for effective law enforcement, and whether increases in Hen Harrier numbers are really due to brood management rather than increased monitoring and satellite tagging. Having carefully considered the available evidence and advice, Natural England's view is that the availability of brood management, including satellite tagging, monitoring and communication of bird locations likely contributed to improved breeding success in some areas. Current evidence supports use of brood management under licence where projects follow the methods used in the trial. This is likely to include satellite tagging and monitoring, subject to case-by-case assessment. Such projects should be for the explicit aim of increasing Hen Harrier numbers by reducing illegal killing and disturbance. #### **Not a substitute for tackling wildlife crime** More widely, brood management can be justified as a Hen Harrier conservation tool when used alongside diversionary feeding, engagement, enforcement, monitoring and research. It is not a substitute for directly tackling wildlife crime. These views are based on the currently available evidence, including the results of the Brood Management Trial, and will be kept under review as new evidence emerges. #### **Acknowledgements and Further Reading** Natural England would like to thank all the project partners who worked together on making the trial and evaluation possible, as well as the landowners who allowed access for release and monitoring. * The final reports from the Hen Harrier Brood Management Trial have now been published here. * Hen Harrier Brood Management Trial Evaluation: The effectiveness of brood management as a mechanism for supporting Hen Harrier recovery. Natural England Research Report NERR153 * Hen Harrier Brood Management Trial: Interim social science evaluation. Natural England Research Report NERR160 * Hen Harrier Brood Management Trial: Findings from the social science survey of moorland managers Authors: National Centre for Social Research. Natural England Commission Report NECR615

Natural England intends to appeal a High Court judgment arising from a judicial review brought by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) concerning gamebird release licensing. Gamebird release licensing was introduced in 2021 to protect internationally important species and habitats found within Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), collectively known as European Sites. A licence is required only where pheasants or red-legged partridges are released on, or within 500 metres of, one of these designated sites. Fewer than 1% of shoots in England are affected. In recent years, Natural England has taken additional steps through the licensing regime to protect SPA bird populations from the risks posed by bird flu. The disease has caused unprecedented mortality in wild birds worldwide and poses a potentially catastrophic threat to the rare and internationally important species for which many SPAs are designated. Since the emergence of bird flu, we have carefully considered the risks posed by the disease to protected species and habitats. Throughout this period, we have sought to minimise impacts on gamebird shoots and businesses while continuing to meet our obligations under the Habitats Regulations and wider conservation legislation. #### The legal challenge In September 2025, BASC brought a judicial review claim against Natural England. The claim challenged licence conditions that restricted the keeping of gamebirds in release pens within SPAs and their 500m buffer zones before the beginning of the shooting season. Natural England imposed those conditions to reduce the risk of bird flu transmission from gamebirds, particularly pheasants, to protected wild bird populations. Natural England’s approach sought to minimise that risk by delaying releases until after breeding birds were expected largely to have left SPAs. BASC argued that Natural England had used its licensing powers for a purpose not authorised by the relevant legislation and had incorrectly interpreted what constitutes a “release into the wild” under section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. BASC also challenged Natural England’s guidance that a licence would be required where a release pen falls partly within and partly outside a controlled zone. Natural England’s position was that the conditions were imposed for the purpose Parliament intended: protecting vulnerable species and ensuring compliance with wildlife conservation law. We argued that there is a direct connection between keeping gamebirds in release pens and the licensed activity of releasing them into the wild, because the former activity is undertaken to facilitate the latter. The case was heard on 1 and 2 July 2026. #### The Court’s decision The Court found that Natural England acted beyond its powers in imposing conditions that prevented the keeping of pheasants and partridges within pens in SPAs and their 500m buffer zones before the start of the shooting season. However, BASC’s challenge to Natural England’s guidance on release pens that straddle the boundaries of SPAs and their 500m buffer zones was rejected. #### Why we are appealing Natural England respectfully disagrees with the judgment and intends to appeal the decision on a number of points of law. Protecting England’s internationally important wildlife sites and the species they support remains at the heart of our work, and we will continue to use every appropriate legal mechanism available to fulfil that responsibility.

**Karyn Haw, Senior Officer - Nature Recovery Network, East Midlands Area Team** * * * _Karyn Haw, Senior Officer in Natural England's East Midlands Area Team, reflects on the recent news that Sherwood Forest's iconic Major Oak has died. Drawing on a career spent working in the forest, she explores what made this ancient tree so remarkable and the pressures that led to its decline. But this is not simply a story of loss, Karyn also looks ahead to the vital role the Major Oak will continue to play as a rare and irreplaceable habitat, and a lasting symbol of our relationship with the natural world._ * * * Last week, I found myself unexpectedly emotional at my desk as news emerged from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) that the Major Oak has now died. Having spent my entire career working in Sherwood Forest, my connection to its ancient trees is both professional and deeply personal. These trees are of immense ecological value, but what has always struck me most is the sense of continuity they embody. Ancient oaks like the Major Oak have stood for centuries, quietly witnessing the evolution of the landscape and our relationship with it. They remind us of both the brevity of human timescales and the responsibility we share as temporary custodians of these remarkable ecosystems. The Major Oak, in particular, holds exceptional significance. Estimated to be over 1,000 years old, it stands at the centre of what was once a royal hunting forest, frequented by English monarchs across the centuries. It is part of the Birklands and Bilhaugh Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), reflecting its importance at both national and European levels. Ecologically, it has supported an extraordinary diversity of species. Culturally, it has provided a powerful and enduring link between people and nature. Major Oak Summer 2025. Credit: Karyn Haw However, the same qualities that made the Major Oak so iconic also contributed to its decline. Its popularity, particularly from the Victorian era onwards, brought increasing visitor pressure. Early access by horse-drawn carriages, followed by motor vehicles and sustained footfall over decades, led to significant soil compaction around its root system. This reduced the availability of water and nutrients essential for its health. More recently, the effects of climate change have exacerbated this stress. Prolonged periods of heat and reduced rain at critical times have been particularly damaging within the naturally free-draining sandy soils of Sherwood. Over the years, Natural England has worked closely with Nottinghamshire County Council and more recently the RSPB to better understand and support the tree's condition. Scientific monitoring and interventions included root radar mapping, soil microfauna analysis, foliar sampling to understand nutrient uptake, and detailed soil and vegetation surveys. Management actions also included the removal of mulch and competing vegetation. These efforts have significantly advanced our understanding of the tree's physiology and the pressures it faced. I have been fortunate to experience the Major Oak in many contexts: carrying out bat surveys at dusk as a volunteer, guiding site visits, sharing its story with colleagues and bringing my own family to stand beneath its vast canopy. These moments have reinforced not just its ecological importance, but its unique ability to inspire and connect people. While this marks a sad moment, it is also an important reminder of ecological resilience and continuity. The death of the Major Oak does not mark the end of its contribution to the forest. On the contrary, it enters a new and equally significant phase. As the central trunk decays, it will create vital habitat for a range of specialised and rare species, including nationally scarce and near-threatened invertebrates such as darkling beetles and flies. Its hollowing structure will continue to provide roosting opportunities for bats, including brown long-eared bats. The processes of decay, fungal colonisation and habitat formation within the tree are integral to the biodiversity value of ancient woodland systems. In this way, the Major Oak continues to give life. Its later stages support species that have declined across the wider countryside, making it as ecologically important in death as it was in life. Its story is not ending. It is evolving. The way people connect with the Major Oak may change, but its ability to inspire, educate and provide a focal point for shared memories will endure. For generations to come, it will provide a home to some of our most threatened species and remain a powerful symbol of Sherwood Forest's natural heritage and the enduring relationship between people and place.

**By Denise Latham, Senior Officer, Catchment Sensitive Farming, Natural England** * * * What happens when a routine farm visit grows into something far more ambitious? Senior Officer Denise Latham shares the story of the Walcot Wiggle, how a conversation on a Shropshire hillside evolved into a landmark river restoration project that is putting the natural meanders back into the River Kemp. From funding breakthroughs to the moment water first flowed through newly restored channels, this is a story about what becomes possible when farmers, advisers and partners share a vision, and the confidence to pursue it. * * * Eighteen months ago, I visited a farm in the Clun catchment to talk through a Catchment Sensitive Farming Capital Grant application. The plan was fairly straightforward: a few ponds, some practical improvements and advice on how to make the most of the opportunities available. But as I walked the farm with one of the landowners, and Helen Oliver from the Shropshire Hills National Landscape's Farming in Protected Landscapes team, it became clear there was an opportunity to think much bigger. Working closely with the landowners, we brought together the right partners, including the Environment Agency and Severn Rivers Trust. Together, we explored what was possible and shaped a shared vision for restoring the river. Through those conversations and partnerships, the idea gradually grew into what became the ‘Walcot Wiggle’. Projects like this do not happen without funding. The initial feasibility study was funded through a FiPL grant. The Walcot Wiggle has been supported by the Environment Agency's Local Water Environment Grant, the Shropshire Hills National Landscape 30by30 Fund, the Elgol Fund for Nature and the HDH Wills 1965 Charitable Trust. Walcott wiggle drone shot before works completed Credit Severn Rivers Trust **What we're doing and why it matters** This section of the River Kemp was straightened in the 1800s to improve farming but, in doing so, it reduced the variety of habitats the river could support and changed the way water moved through the landscape. By restoring more than a kilometre of meanders and reconnecting the river to its original channel, we are giving the River Kemp the space to behave more as it once did. That brings benefits for both people and wildlife. The "wiggles" lengthen the river's course and slow the movement of water, helping to reduce flood risk downstream. They also give sediment and nutrients more opportunity to settle, improving water quality. The restored floodplain makes the landscape more resilient to a changing climate, helping it cope with both heavier rainfall and longer dry spells. At the same time, the meanders, backwaters, wetlands and seasonally wet grassland create a much richer variety of habitats for birds, fish, amphibians, insects and aquatic plants. Digger about to break through a bund and reconnect the river Because the River Kemp feeds into the River Clun, home to internationally important species including Atlantic salmon and the endangered freshwater pearl mussel, improving this stretch of river will also benefit wildlife across the wider catchment by creating cleaner water and better spawning and feeding habitats. People have been shaping the River Kemp for centuries. The difference now is that we are working with the river, giving it the space to do what it does naturally and creating a more resilient landscape for farming, wildlife and the people who depend on both. **Farming and nature, hand in hand** One of the things I'm most proud of about the Walcot Wiggle is that it shows what's possible when farmers are given the confidence and support to work with nature. Since the restoration began, Natural England CSF Advisers have been working closely with both landowners and have helped secure two Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier agreements. Although there was no certainty that the Higher Tier agreements would be available when we started, we planned the project with that in mind. The baseline surveys, design work and restoration were all carried out so that, if the opportunity came, the farmers would be well placed to secure agreements that recognised the value of making room for the river to move. For me, that's one of the biggest successes of the project. We've restored the river, but we've also helped create a long term plan that supports productive farming while giving the river the space to move naturally, improving water quality, reducing flood risk and creating more room for wildlife to thrive. Healthy floodplains provide multiple benefits to farming. Improved soil moisture during dry periods, more resilient grassland, reduced erosion and better water management all contribute towards productive farm businesses that are better equipped to adapt to a changing climate. At the same time, wildlife benefits from a more connected landscape where rivers, wetlands and grasslands can function as a more joined up landscape. For me, this is a great example of Natural England’s approach in action, putting farmers and landowners at the heart of nature recovery through practical support and local knowledge. **The reconnection** Standing beside the River Kemp as water flowed through its new meanders for the first time was a proud and memorable moment. After 18 months of planning, surveys, discussions and collaborative working, it was incredibly rewarding to see the vision become reality. Watching the river begin to reconnect with its original channel was a reminder that river restoration is not simply about moving earth or reshaping channels; it is about restoring natural processes that will continue to evolve long after the machinery has left. Tree-lined channel before water enters Perhaps most exciting is that this is only the beginning. As vegetation establishes, wetlands develop and wildlife responds, the benefits of the project will continue to grow year after year. We have secured long-term monitoring, allowing us to track how the site develops over time, measure the project's environmental benefits, and use this evidence to inform future restoration work. Equally importantly, the relationships built throughout the project continue to strengthen, providing opportunities to develop the site further and inspire similar projects across the Severn River Basin. The Walcot Wiggle shows what can be achieved when ambitious landowners, trusted advice, sound evidence and strong partnerships come together with a shared vision. By putting the wiggle back into the River Kemp, we are helping to create a healthier river, a more resilient farming landscape and a better future for nature. I hope it provides a model that gives us, as well as other farmers and landowners, the confidence to take on similar projects. Walcott wiggle after works completed. Credit: Severn Rivers Trust **Find out more** To learn more about Catchment Sensitive Farming and how we can support farmers and landowners, visit Catchment Sensitive Farming: advice for farmers and land managers - GOV.UK and Catchment Sensitive Farming - Our advice | Farming Advice Service

**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 key environmental pressures, including excess nutrients, fine sediment and invasive species, that are contributing to the river's "unfavourable-declining" status. It also outlines why healthy rivers matter, how climate change is likely to intensify existing challenges, and what coordinated action across the catchment can do to help restore the River Lugg to a healthier, more resilient state._ * * * The River Wye and River Lugg are nationally important waterways, protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and part of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). In 2023, we published an interim assessment highlighting concerns about the condition of the River Wye and its catchment. At that time, both the Wye and the Lugg were classed as **“unfavourable – declining”** , with pressures from nutrients, land use and habitat change affecting key ecological features. Our guidance explains the different classifications we use for SSSIs. Since then, we have completed a more thorough condition assessment of the **River Lugg SSSI,** which confirms the findings of our interim assessment. That’s certainly not where we want the health of our rivers to be. The new assessment provides a clearer understanding of the river’s current condition and how we can tackle the challenges ahead. A full assessment of the River Wye is also underway. **What the new assessment tells us** The River Lugg continues to support valuable wildlife, including otters and nationally scarce invertebrates. River flows remain close to natural levels, demonstrating a degree of ecological resilience. However, significant environmental challenges remain: * Phosphorus levels exceed targets throughout the Lugg catchment. * Fine sediment is widespread, particularly in the middle and lower river. * Excess nutrients are causing algal growth and changes to aquatic plant communities. * Invasive species such as Himalayan balsam and signal crayfish are affecting native wildlife. * Historic river engineering, including dredging and straightening, has reduced habitat diversity and natural river function. Taking all factors into account, the River Lugg SSSI is in **“unfavourable-declining”** condition. While some stretches retain high ecological value, the combined impacts of nutrient enrichment, sediment, habitat modification and invasive species are limiting the river’s ability to function as a healthy, resilient system. The River Lugg near Leominster has been historically dredged, resulting in slower flows, siltation and algae cover. **Why this matters** Healthy rivers depend on a balance of clean water, natural flows and diverse habitats. When nutrients and sediment enter in excess, they can: * Drive excessive algal growth * Smother gravels used by fish and invertebrates * Reduce water clarity and plant diversity * Lower oxygen levels, especially in warm conditions Over time, these effects reduce the resilience of the river, increasing vulnerability to further pressures. Climate change is likely to intensify these challenges. Hotter, drier summers may reduce flows and increase water temperatures, while heavier rainfall can increase runoff of nutrients and sediment. These changes amplify existing pressures on the river. **How land management can help** The condition of the River Lugg reflects how land has been managed over many years. Improving it will require coordinated action across the catchment, for example: * Reducing nutrient losses from soil and manure * Limiting soil erosion and sediment runoff * Creating riverside buffer strips and planting trees * Reconnecting rivers with their floodplains where possible * Managing invasive species through catchment-wide action Pristine reach near Aymenstry. The river here is connected to its floodplain and displays classic “run-riffle-pool” habitats. **Working together** Since 2023, our evidence base has strengthened, with input from EA and citizen science (Friends of the River Wye) giving us a clearer understanding of both the pressures affecting the River Lugg and the actions needed to address them. Natural England is working with the Environment Agency, Herefordshire Council, Wye Catchment Partnership, the Wye and Usk Foundation, Herefordshire Wildlife Trust and other partners to tackle nutrient pollution while enabling sustainable growth. We are also working closely with our partners in Wales. Many of the required actions can be supported through farming schemes that balance environmental improvements with productive land use. The River Lugg remains an **ecologically important and valuable river** , but it faces complex and long-standing challenges. With sustained, coordinated effort across the catchment, we can improve its condition and help restore a healthy, resilient river system benefiting wildlife and people.

**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 24 th June and looks forward to this summer’s Festival of Archaeology. This year the festival is celebrating archaeology and nature from 18th July to 2nd August, _with walks, talks, and hands-on activities across the country. * * * **Archaeology at Natural England** I was excited to be part of an online Evening with Natural England’s Archaeologists on the 24th June hosted by our Chair Tony Juniper and Clemency Cooper from the Council for British Archaeology, who organised the Festival of Archaeology. This year the festival is celebrating archaeology and nature and they invited Natural England to discuss our work. The cross-cutting theme was how our natural and historic environments are often inseparable, with staff across Natural England engaging with archaeology every day as we work to recover nature for growth, health and security. As Tony Juniper said there is “a huge synergy that exists between the conservation and recovery of the natural environment with the efforts we need to put in to conserve and enhance the historic environment.” It isn’t just our handful of historic environment specialists like me, but people right across the organisation. From our advisors working with farmers to restore habitats and protect rural heritage, to the staff and volunteers caring for National Nature Reserves (NNRs), we are all working in places that have been shaped by the interaction of people and nature over centuries. Natural England’s mission is building partnership for nature’s recovery, and this includes archaeologists and heritage professionals. We work closely with partners at Historic England, local authorities and national parks who run the 80+ local Historic Environment Records across England. An example of this is our new publication on Managing Registered Battlefields, which was launched at the event. We developed this jointly with partners at Historic England, Forestry Commission and the Battlefields Trust to show how these special places can deliver more for people, nature and heritage. It’s a supplement to our existing Nature Recovery and the Historic Environment guide. **If you go into the woods today…** The launch of the Festival of Archaeology will be at Westonbirt, the National Arboretum on Saturday 18th July. With Forestry England kindly providing free entry for the day. There will be walks, talks, workshops and demonstrations of bronze casting, coppicing and charcoal making. Natural England and the Countryside Code will be there too with archaeology and nature crafts. Natural England and our partners will be leading guided walks and activities throughout the Festival to help you connect with the nature and archaeology near you. I have chosen some highlights below. There is a rare chance to visit Ravensburgh Castle, the largest hill fort in the Chilterns, hidden beneath trees near Hexton. Join our tour to find out more about the site’s history and its future as part of Natural England’s vision for landscape-scale nature recovery in the North Chilterns. Wooded Bronze Age barrow at the entrance to Ravensburgh Castle hillfort at Hexton in the North Chilterns. Credit: Ian Marshman. Forestry England will be leading a walk exploring if the trees of Sherwood Forest NNR could talk, in this most legendary of ancient woodlands. Partners at the South West Heritage Trust are expecting a Viking Invasion with reenactors at the Avalon Marshes Centre in the Somerset Wetlands NNR. **Adventures on the King Charles III Coast Path & the Kings Series of NNRs** Exploring the Dunes of the North Walney NNR. Credit: Ros Campbell. At North Walney NNR near Barrow-in-Furness we’ll be leading a walk to celebrate the island’s nature and history, and how it has been shaped by the Vikings, rabbit warrens and the military. NNR staff at the Ribble Estuary in Merseyside will be leading a walk along the coast path, birdwatching on the way, to visit the place where a German aircraft was shot down during World War II. You can also join us for a journey through time into the Bradford Pennine Gateway NNR, which was declared last year as part of the King’s Series of NNRs, created to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III. From its gritstone geology, to prehistoric rock art, the birth of the Industrial Revolution and modern history have all left their trace. There will also be family-friendly activities at Bracken Hall Countryside Centre. Partners at Bradgate Park NNR near Leicester, which is also part of the King’s Series, are holding a Family Fun Day. With archaeology activities including a dig pit, spear throwing, and real Stone Age tools inspired by the site’s rare Ice Age camp, which was recorded as part of the park’s Countryside Stewardship agreement. There’s another link to His Majesty King Charles III, as he is Patron of the Council for British Archaeology, and it’s a little-known fact that the King studied archaeology as a student. **Next door nature and archaeology** In Manchester we’ll be leading a walk through popular and lesser-known greenspaces in the city centre, on the hunt for urban archaeology and wildlife, with the help of partners at the National Trust and Landsec. Mayfield Park in Manchester which was created by reusing Victorian structures and materials from the site’s history. Credit: Sarah Cattell. At Barnack Hills & Holes NNR near Peterborough we’ll be exploring the geology, archaeology and nature of this unique undulating landscape, which was produced by quarrying to create medieval marvels like Peterborough and Ely Cathedrals. In Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands partners are leading both a talk and a walk at Sutton Park NNR, looking at how its woodland, heathland and grassland has been shaped by thousands of years of human activity. _For full details of these events and more visit the_ Festival of Archaeology website_. Please note pre-booking is required for some events._ _You can also find a selection of online_ Festival Resources___to try at home. This includes printable crafts, videos, and the Peat the Lapwing Game where players can restore a bog encountering archaeology and wildlife on the way._

**Kim Owen and Steph Britton** **- Climate change, Environmental Improvement Plan, Farming, Food, Land use, Land Use Framework, Peat, Water** * * * Lowland Peat soils are vital to England’s food system, producing roughly 40% of all domestically grown vegetables _,_ yet drainage-based agriculture is causing them to degrade at an alarming rate - releasing carbon, accelerating land subsidence, and driving biodiversity loss. On 26 June 2026, Natural England launched the Paludiculture and Wetter Farming Fund (PWFF), backed by up to £10 million from Defra, to help change that. This blog explains what the fund is, how it builds on earlier research, and what it offers for farmers, nature and our climate - from growing innovative wet-adapted crops to testing whether conventional food production can work at higher water tables. Whether you're a farmer, researcher, or organisation with an interest in lowland peat, read on to find out how PWFF could work for you, and how to get involved before the application window closes on 21 August 2026. * * * The Paludiculture and Wetter Farming Fund (**PWFF**) launched on Friday 26th June 2026. Delivered by Natural England (NE), up to **£10 million** in research & development funding has been made available by Defra, to encourage more responsible land use on peat soils by removing existing barriers to keeping peat wet, whilst supporting food production and water security and helping reduce the impact of climate change. Great Fen Trial - Phragmites (Common Reed). credit Jim Milner **What is Paludiculture and Wetter Farming?** Based on the findings from the Paludiculture Exploration Fund which supported early research and trials, (for example, developing crops into products such as construction materials in the Broads; using Typha seed heads to replace polyester in clothing insulation); PWFF now takes a more focused approach: * **Paludiculture** is the growing of crops adapted to wet conditions (with a grant focus on _Phragmites_(reed), _Typha_ (bulrush), _Sphagnum_ (moss)) to produce a variety of products. For example, horticultural peat replacement, acoustic panels.**** * **Wetter farming** is the practice of growing conventional **food** crops (typically those cultivated on drained peat (or other soils)) at higher water tables. PWFF will fund projects to develop markets and test systems at scale across these two priority themes. Beadamoss Sphagnum paludiculture plots. Credit: Jim Milner **Natural England’s ‘Strategy in Action’** PWFF is a great example of Natural England’s **‘Strategy in Action** ’. The rewetting of lowland peat for crop production has the potential to sustain livelihoods, support food security, water resilience, nature recovery, net zero (through carbon sequestration/reduction of carbon loss from degraded peat) and manage climate risks such as flooding and drought. As a result, PWFF contributes to stronger, more resilient ecosystems, supporting economic growth, public health and national security. **Contributing to Net Zero** PWFF is part of the government’s approach to achieving Net Zero by moving away from drainage-based agriculture in lowland peatlands in England. When peat is drained, the carbon stored in the peat is released into the atmosphere, primarily as carbon dioxide. A further carbon cost is added when energy is used to pump water from the peat. Peat drainage also accelerates peat soil erosion, land subsidence and biodiversity loss. PWFF will provide rewetting opportunities, potentially enabling farmers to achieve/maintain high water tables which would slow peat degradation/loss, and could significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with drained peat, while contributing to nature recovery. **How can farming on wetted peat help bitterns?** Lancashire Wildlife Trust, Typha harvest. Credit: Jim Milner Developing markets for paludiculture products through PWFF will potentially provide a sustainable income stream for protected wetland site management, such as for Bitterns. For example, more lucrative markets could be created for harvested reed, from traditional uses (thatching) to new, innovative uses (insulation board). It gets better…… the rewetting of peat through PWFF will help support the maintenance of higher water levels elsewhere in the lowland landscape where desired/appropriate, such as for protected wetland sites and peatlands undergoing restoration. Research has also shown that paludiculture sites contained three times more birds than agricultural grassland sites, including several threatened bird species - nature recovery in action. **What’s in it for our farmers?** The rewetting opportunities offered by PWFF, which are so important for reducing carbon emissions and for nature recovery, support sustainable farming systems on peat soils into the long term, particularly by reducing peat loss and land subsidence in under-pressure landscapes. PWFF projects will focus on developing commercially viable products from paludiculture crops **_Phragmites_**(reed),**_Typha_**(bulrush)and **_Sphagnum_** (moss), mainly through the development of reliable supply chains and product certification, supporting more resilient farming businesses in a changing economy and climate. We also want to investigate how water can be managed to grow conventional **food** crops at higher water tables on peat. For example, by developing practical high water table growing systems; adapting machinery and improving access to suitable machinery for planting, harvesting, processing. PWFF will help strengthen the commercial case for continuing farming on wetter peat soils with less damaging environmental effects. Mixed habitats around a Typha plot. Credit: Steph Britton **Collaboration is key!** Partnerships are key to the success of PWFF projects. A consortium-building database is available, hosted by Defra’s delivery partner NIAB, for organisations and businesses looking to work together on potential lowland peat water projects, including PWFF (NE can be part of a consortium bid but not lead one). To find out more, you can log your details in this consortium-building database, hosted by www.paludiculture.org.uk. The partnerships and projects developed through PWFF will help encourage a transition to a more sustainable land use on lowland peat. The vision is to create a mosaic of different land uses and management approaches, where restored peatlands, productive farming and nature rich habitats sit alongside each other. Multiple benefits will be delivered through multiple partnerships – truly NE's ‘Strategy in Action’. Applications can be submitted via the Defra eCommercial portal, between **26 June 2026 and 21 August 2026**. **Want to know more?** You can find out more on the Find a Grant website. Natural England will host an **Application Webinar on 7 July 2026**. To register, and for more information on PWFF, please email PWFF@naturalengland.org.uk

* * * 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 are doing next. * * * **What has been reported** We have already corrected false claims made in media articles last week suggesting that Natural England is proposing to cull Dartmoor ponies as part of biodiversity plans for the moor. We understand why these headlines have caused distress to pony owners, to people who love Dartmoor and to communities across the South West who have a deep connection to these animals. We continue to be clear that no cull of Dartmoor ponies has been proposed, approved or is being pursued by Natural England. We recognise, though, that the situation which has led to this coverage is real and complex, and deserves a more careful explanation than headlines allow. * * * **What’s actually happening** Dartmoor is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and one of England's most ecologically important landscapes. The moorland habitats it supports - blanket bog, heath and grassland - depend on the right kind and level of grazing, by sheep, cattle and ponies, to remain in good condition. When grazing levels are too high, sensitive plant communities are damaged. When they are too low, vegetation such as Molinia (purple moor grass) can encroach over time, reducing both biodiversity and forage for livestock. Dartmoor ponies are a native breed and are an integral part of that grazing system. They have shaped the moor for centuries and Natural England absolutely values their role in it. The difficulty is that, in some areas, grazing levels are higher than the habitat can sustain in the long term. This is not a new problem and it is not one with a simple solution. This is about getting the right type of grazing, in the right place and at the right time of year. Across large, unfenced areas this has to be supported by viable farming to be sustainable. Managing livestock numbers on common land is a genuinely complicated matter. It involves the rights of commoners, the economics of traditional upland farming, animal welfare obligations, and the ecological needs of protected habitats. These things can pull in different directions and any approach that ignores that complexity risks causing harm to farming livelihoods, to wildfire risk, or to the very habitats we are all trying to protect. Natural England strongly believes that a viable pony population is essential for nature recovery on Dartmoor, as well as for their huge cultural and aesthetic value. Balancing this with all the other interests such as sheep and cattle farming will take a strong partnership effort over the coming years – there is no quick fix. * * * **What we are doing** We are working with Defra on the broader policy questions this situation has raised, including whether current frameworks adequately support the kind of land management that Dartmoor needs. Natural England is working closely with Defra, the Commoners’ Council, pony owners, the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group and the Dartmoor National Park on a considered, collaborative approach. We are holding a series of meetings with them in the coming weeks. We are acutely aware that a rushed or reactive solution, even a well-intentioned one, could have unintended consequences for farming systems, animal welfare and the ecology of the moor itself. There is no imminent deadline on agreement renewals so there is time to develop solutions collaboratively. **Our people on the ground** Our Local Team includes people dedicated to working on Dartmoor and they regularly meet with commoners, pony keepers, farmers and conservation groups. They know the moor, have built relationships with those who live and work there over many years and understand that the ecology of Dartmoor and the livelihoods of the people who manage it are not separate concerns. There is a genuine, shared desire among the people closest to Dartmoor to find workable solutions and we look forward to working with all parties to safeguard the future of ponies on the moor. **Next steps** We will provide a further update once our upcoming stakeholder meetings have taken place. * * * **A note on comments** _We welcome comments on our blog, but please keep the conversation respectful. Comments are moderated in line with our policy._ * * *

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 that the issues raised were hypothetical in nature. The Court also made no order as to costs. Natural England welcomes the clarity provided by the Court.

**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 say “wow”? For me, it is every evening when I watch the small group of swifts flying over our neighbourhood. I’m always amazed that they have completed one of the longest migration journeys of any bird to come and visit my town. Swifts can reach speeds of up to 70 mph, and adults can carry hundreds of insects in their mouths to feed their chicks. They are true aerial athletes. Yet their populations in Britain have declined by 60% over the last 25 years, making them a real priority for action, as reflected in many Local Nature Recovery Strategies. When I had the chance to work with the RSPB on a project to help them, it felt like an opportunity not to miss. Swifts aren’t just nice to have, they’re part of the system that keeps our everyday lives running. Healthy populations of species like swifts signal a healthy environment, which underpins everything from the pollination of our food to the control of pests and even the air we breathe. _Common swift (Apus apus) in flight. © Alexis Lours_ #### **A different approach** The West Midlands Swift Academy was an RSPB‑led project made possible through Natural England’s Species and Habitats Seedcorn Fund (August 2025 – March 2026). As a species that depends heavily on urban environments, swifts present a great opportunity to enthuse urban communities about nature, whilst generating practical recovery actions. Rather than RSPB staff delivering all engagement directly, community organisations were first trained in swift ecology and conservation. These organisations, already trusted within their communities, then designed and delivered activities that embedded swift messages into sport, arts, education and wellbeing programmes. This Train the Trainer model proved to be particularly effective. Five partner organisations across Birmingham and Walsall participated, including Walsall Football Club Foundation (whose emblem and mascot is a swift), Walsall College, Trinity Specialist College, Birmingham Settlement and Young Stars in Castle Vale. Activities ranged from swift‑themed football drills and SEND student‑led public showcase events to music, poetry, craft workshops and wildflower planting. Each event was supported by RSPB volunteers, and community organisations received a small grant to cover delivery costs. #### **Outcomes** At least 515 people took part in Swift Academy activities including at least 100 children. Feedback showed high levels of enjoyment, learning and motivation. Among teenagers and adults, 96% reported increased knowledge of swifts, and over three quarters said they would look for swifts, share what they learned or take action locally. The project successfully engaged people who do not usually take part in conservation, including SEND students, families and communities in areas of higher deprivation. Strong social outcomes were also reported, with 89% saying they got to know new people. The project team purchased 100 swift nest boxes, which communities decided they wanted to build themselves using flat-packed kits. All 100 boxes have been allocated to buildings, with 67 installed already and demand for more boxes than the project could supply. Seven wildflower areas have been created to support insect prey, with horticultural training provided by local organisation Roots to Fruit. While it is too early to assess population‑level impacts, the project has successfully addressed known pressures: nest site availability and food resources, whilst building local ownership. _Children at a swift-themed family activity day taking making wildflower seed bombs. © Natural England/Amber Harrell_ #### **Learning and legacy** An independent evaluation by Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) showed the strengths of the Train the Trainer model, which included efficiency, inclusivity, trust and scalability. RSPB expertise combined with community creativity achieved far greater reach than either working alone. The project could have achieved even more if longer funding timescales had been possible. The RSPB now plans to sustain momentum by supporting volunteers to become local “Swift Champions”, running summer Swift walks and encouraging monitoring through Swift Mapper. #### **How to help swifts** We can all play a part in helping swift populations recover. Here are some ideas: * **Share the story:** talk about swifts with your community and think about ways you could come together to help them. * **Look up!** Find out if swifts are in your area and where they breed. Try using Swift Mapper or join your local swift group to help monitor swifts in your area. * **Protect nesting sites:** If renovations are happening near a swift nest site, works should be undertaken carefully to not disturb or block up the nest site as swifts will return to the same nest sites year after year. * **Create nesting sites** : Add swift bricks or swift boxes to buildings in your area. Swift boxes can be found more easily by swifts if you also play swift calls. * **Let wildflowers grow:** Find a patch of land where wildflowers can be encouraged, by mowing less often or sowing native species. This will encourage insect prey for swifts. _This project was made possible thanks to Jamie Murphy at RSPB, Amber Harrell at Natural England, Susannah Wilson at BVSC and all the community members who gave their time and enthusiasm._ _Full project report available at: West Midlands Swift Academy Report_

_**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 inequalities across England, helping decision-makers target green infrastructure investment where communities face the greatest combined environmental, socio-economic and health challenges._ * * * At Natural England our work is driven by a commitment to connect people, place and nature and we’re delighted to launch two new tools that help focus action where it matters most. After nearly 18 months of collaborative work, Natural England, alongside the Environment Agency and partners across the environmental, academic and public sectors, is delighted to launch two new national datasets: the Index of Multiple Environmental Deprivation (IMED) and the Environmental Equity Index (EEI). I wanted to explain what these tools are, why they were developed, and why we think they matter. Launching on 22 June, during London Climate Week, felt right for tools that are fundamentally about understanding where the pressures of a changing climate land hardest and on whom. #### **What do IMED and EEI actually do?** **IMED** maps cumulative environmental pressures across all of England at 100-metre grid resolution, with the ability to aggregate results to other geographic and administrative levels. It draws together indicators including air pollution, flood risk, environmental noise, habitat deficit, access to green space and climate-related pressures into a single consistent score. Think of it as the environmental equivalent of the Index of Multiple Deprivation - a way of seeing, at a glance, where environmental disadvantage is greatest. **EEI** builds on IMED specifically within urban areas. It layers in additional factors such as Urban Heat Island effects, lack of tree cover, years of life lost and wider socio-economic deprivation data. The result is a picture of where environmental pressures and vulnerable communities overlap, what we've been calling "triple jeopardy": places where environmental, socio-economic and health challenges all accumulate at once. Used together, these tools give decision-makers something they haven't had before: a consistent, transparent, high-resolution evidence base covering the whole of England. #### How these tools were built This has been a truly collaborative project. Natural England worked alongside the Environment Agency, Friends of the Earth, deprivation.org, the Environmental Data Network and academic partners at the Universities of Leeds, Staffordshire and Lincoln, with contributions from Defra. Development ran from 2023 to 2025, we piloted the tools with local authorities, health bodies, planning organisations and NGOs before launch. Therefore, we know what we've released is practical and ready to use. Natural England's expertise in green infrastructure, spatial data and nature-based solutions shaped how these tools were designed and what they measure. IMED's inclusion of habitat deficit and green space access reflects the kind of evidence base that has long been missing from environmental planning conversations. #### How they connect to wider priorities Both tools support the government's Plan for Change, the Environmental Improvement Plan and Local Nature Recovery Strategies. They're designed to help partners prioritise resources and investment where they deliver the greatest benefits for communities and nature, and to embed nature into planning and development from the outset. Data from the maps provides a strong foundation for developing a Green Infrastructure strategy, an essential step towards achieving Nature Towns and Cities accreditation. #### How to use them Both tools are now freely available via Natural England's Green Infrastructure Mapping Tool. We'd especially encourage local authorities, planning teams, health bodies and community organisations to explore the maps. Look up the areas you work in, export the relevant data, and use it to support evidence-based discussions and decisions on where green infrastructure investment will have the greatest impact. To get the full picture, the best insight comes from combining this data with local knowledge. This launch is the beginning, not the end. The tools are designed to support decisions, not prescribe them and they will improve the more they're used. If you have questions, find something surprising, or want to discuss how they might apply to your work then we'd very much like to hear from you. Scan the QR code to explore your area: #### **_Autumn webinars_** **Webinar |** **Better Evidence, Better Tools, Better Outcomes: Green Infrastructure Webinar at 10:00-11:30am on 29 September.** Join Natural England and partners from the Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission for an update on a powerful new suite of green infrastructure tools designed to help planners, local authorities and policymakers deliver quality green infrastructure where it’s needed most. Whether you're a planner, ecologist, public health professional, local authority officer, developer or simply passionate about making where you live greener and healthier, this is the webinar for you. Come along, get inspired and leave with the tools and evidence to make it happen. Register here. **Webinar | Deep Dive into IMED, EEI Green Infrastructure Mapping Tools at 2:00-3:15pm on 6th October**. Want to get more from the new environmental mapping tools? Join us on 6th October for a practical deep dive covering the latest improvements to the Green Infrastructure Mapping Tool, a walkthrough of **Indices of Multiple Environmental Deprivation (IMED)** , and the **Environmental Equity Index (EEI).** Whether you're new to the tools or already exploring them, this is your opportunity to build confidence and ask questions Click here to find out more and register.

**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 in particular – _wood pasture creation_ – can be a popular strategy for landowners and land managers. Recently, we’ve published a report sharing our learnings so far. In this blog, we explore some of the ways that wood pasture creation took place, what choices were made and what still needs to be understood to increase wood pasture creation. * * * **Firstly, what is wood pasture?** Wood pasture and Parkland is a priority habitat, made up of scattered trees, grazed scrub and grassland. These systems house a rich diversity of species and have developed over long periods of time by established management traditions. 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. While newly created wood pasture cannot replicate this history in the short term, it can aim to follow the same principles and begin to deliver similar benefits. Any form of wood pasture can help address several challenges at once. Trees capture and store carbon, helping to tackle climate change. They also provide shade for livestock, improve soil health and slow the flow of water across land – all important points to consider as we adapt to a changing climate. **So how was new wood pasture created?** Across the Nature Returns programme, we’ve been working with partners in six Local Partnership Projects across England. Wood pasture creation was a popular choice at several of these sites, with each site approaching it differently. Plymouth Natural Grid - Seaton Valley fencing around smaller blocks of trees and scrub. Credit: Plymouth City Council. At **Wild Exmoor** , for example, trees have been planted in small copses across sloping grassland, often surrounded by shrubs. Meanwhile, at sites within the **Plymouth Natural Grid** project, planting has focused on larger clumps of trees, shaped by the needs of more urban or peri-urban landscapes. Despite these differences, there are some common themes. Most projects planted a mix of native broadleaved species – including oak, cherry, alder and hazel – to create diversity and resilience. Severn Solutions for Nature’s Recovery planted a mixture of individual trees and stands of trees surrounded by scrub. Credit: Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust Grazing has also been a key part of the picture. Different sites are using different combinations of animals, including some distinctive choices like Exmoor ponies and Mangalitza pigs. These decisions matter: grazing shapes the vegetation structure and there may be trade-offs associated with the chosen livestock. It also affects the overall carbon balance of the site when emissions from grazing animals are taken into account. What became clear is that there was no single ‘right’ way to create wood pasture. Each site reflects its local landscape, its history and the priorities of the people managing it. **What have we learned so far?** Reflecting on the projects, several common themes stood out **Flexibility is key.** Wood pasture creation isn’t a one size fits all model. It can be adapted to suit local conditions, whether that’s soil type, local perspectives or the practicalities of managing land. **Any form of tree planting is beneficial.** Introducing trees into previously treeless pastureland is likely to bring benefits, even where planting is relatively modest or trees with lower carbon storage potential were chosen. There are nuances to this though, particularly around carbon storage potential of trees and whether these offset emissions from livestock grazing on the land. There are **challenges associated with cost**. Investment in wood pasture creation can vary widely depending on the level of protection needed, such as fencing or guards. Costs ranged from £3 to £50 per tree and there is likely to be a trade-off between affordability and higher potential establishment success. **Good advice is important**. Creating wood pasture successfully requires careful planning and long-term thinking. Decisions about which species to plant, how to protect young trees, and how to manage grazing all play a role in the outcome. Access to clear, practical guidance is essential if more land managers are to adopt this approach. **We need to strengthen the evidence base**. While wood pasture was a popular choice for our partners, there’s still a lot we don’t understand about these systems. In particular, we need to understand more about how much carbon these systems can store over time and how they can contribute to wider environmental targets. Strengthening this evidence base through further research will help support policy decisions, development and future investment in Nature-based Solutions. **What’s next?** The Nature Returns programme will continue to work with its local partners in the coming years to track the development of newly created habitats and associated changes in carbon storage and biodiversity. By taking a ‘learning by doing’ approach, we can understand more about what works best and crucially, what doesn’t. To find out more you can read our full report, alongside other Nature Returns publications.

Recent reporting on Natural England's role and position on Dartmoor ponies has contained several inaccuracies, including that Natural England has recommended a cull of Dartmoor ponies, which is false. We have also seen similar reporting on Exmoor ponies, which is also untrue. Natural England remains firmly committed to the future of Dartmoor ponies. Dartmoor ponies are part of the cultural landscape of Dartmoor and play a vital role in the health of its moorland habitats. This blog refutes the false claims and sets out Natural England’s position. * * * **Claim:** "Natural England has recommended a 90% cull of Dartmoor ponies." **Our position:** This is not true. Natural England has not recommended a cull of Dartmoor ponies. We do not have the power to order a cull, and we have not advised one. * * * **Claim:** "Natural England is trying to remove ponies from Dartmoor." **Our position:** This is false. Natural England wants to see ponies remain a central part of Dartmoor's grazing system. The Fursdon Review of Protected Site Management on Dartmoor, which Natural England fully supports, described the Dartmoor pony as invaluable for conservation grazing and genetically important. Our position is aligned with that finding. * * * **Claim:** "Natural England's stocking restrictions will force commoners to get rid of their ponies." **Our position:** Decisions about which animals are grazed on Dartmoor commons rest with individual landowners and commoners, not with Natural England. Our role is to provide evidence-based advice on to protect and restore designated habitats. We are aware of concerns that including ponies in livestock unit calculations could lead some land managers favouring more commercially profitable cattle or sheep. Our advisers work closely with individual agreement holders to provide tailored advice to improve nature and support businesses. * * * **Claim:** "Natural England is ignoring the importance of Dartmoor ponies to the landscape and local communities." **Our position:** Dartmoor ponies and hill ponies are part of the cultural and ecological identity of Dartmoor, and Natural England’s advice recognises this fully. * * * **Claim:** "Natural England's advice is harming an already endangered breed." **Our position:** Natural England shares the concern about the future of Dartmoor ponies as a breed. Semi-wild Dartmoor Hill Ponies have been included on the Rare Breed Survival Trust watch list and they are recognised as an at-risk native heritage semi-feral population in Defra’s Native Breed Support list. They are also eligible for the Native Breed and moorland cattle/pony keeping supplements alongside registered pedigree Dartmoor ponies within our Environmental Land Management schemes. We are committed to working with the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group to develop a collaborative plan that supports both nature recovery and the sustainable future of the Dartmoor pony * * * **Claim:** “Why are Natural England giving advice when the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group are still working on a landscape scale approach?” **Our position:** For many landowners their existing stewardship agreements and associated permissions are due to expire before the conclusion of Dartmoor Land Use Management Group’s two-year review. To avoid gaps in stewardship funding and management advice, we are engaging in preliminary conversations to facilitate future agreements. These will be complimented by the outputs from Dartmoor Land Use Management group, which we are actively shaping. * * * **Natural England's Position** Much of Dartmoor's moorland is currently in unfavourable condition, restoring it is vital for wildlife and for the communities that depend on it. Our advice on grazing management is part of that effort. It is evidence-based, it is developed in dialogue with those who manage the land. Natural England is committed to the long-term future of Dartmoor ponies and is working in partnership with commoners, landowners, and organisations such as the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association to achieve that. * * *

**_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._ * * * More than 85% of people in England live in towns and cities, where streets, gardens and skylines all have a vital role to play in nature recovery. The momentum behind urban greening has never been stronger. Green infrastructure reduces air temperatures by between 2°C and 8°C, a significant gain in an increasingly warming world. But the benefits reach far beyond temperature: green spaces are the foundations of healthier, more resilient and investible communities. Growth that nurtures nature, that's what building tomorrow's cities looks like. #### **Learning across borders in Bristol** _Natural England and Bristol City Council jointly hosted a delegation of Green Infrastructure experts from the Lithuanian government for a knowledge exchange visit._ When a delegation of green infrastructure experts and urban planners from Lithuania made the journey to Bristol specifically to learn from England's approach to urban greening, it said a great deal about the growing international reputation of Natural England's Green Infrastructure Framework. Hosted by the Wessex team, the visit brought together parks, regeneration and planning professionals including Bristol City Council's Chief Planner, Simone Wilding, to explore how green infrastructure is shaping the city's future. With significant regeneration already under way across Bristol, the day highlighted a vital opportunity: ensuring new development delivers for people, climate and nature from the very outset. Among the delegation was Ramune Baniuliene, a green infrastructure expert at Lithuania's Construction Sector Development Agency (SSVA). Reflecting on the visit, she said: > _"It was helpful for us to see how Natural England's GI Framework can empower local authorities to embed green infrastructure, stressing that this must be done at the earliest design stages. Our visit helped us understand how these principles work in practice, especially regarding community involvement, budgeting, and long-term maintenance."_ Governments across the world are grappling with the universal challenge of climate change, making knowledge exchange like this essential and inspiring. #### ****European network: improving urban nature**** In early May, Andy Smith, Deputy Director for People and Nature, represented Natural England at a European network meeting in Bonn, bringing together governments and agencies committed to improving urban nature and connecting people with green spaces where they live. Over two days, delegates shared presentations and insights from across the continent. Andy presented Natural England's Strategy, the Green Infrastructure Framework, Biodiversity Net Gain and Local Nature Recovery Strategies and was delighted to find European colleagues already well-acquainted with this work. The visit underlined the genuine respect for Natural England's approach across Europe. In particular our model of strengthening relationships with local partners and providing tools that enable local ownership of nature recovery resonated strongly and is seen by many as a promising way forward. #### **West London's green lung: a regional park connecting communities and nature** _Representatives from Ealing Council, Hounslow Council, the National Trust, the Mayor of London, the Environment Agency, and the Canal & River Trust sign an agreement to deliver a new 500-hectare nature corridor regional park in West London, at Osterley House. © Megan Taylor / Ealing Council_ Everyone deserves access to nature close to home. In early March, we joined partners to celebrate a landmark moment for west London as the Ealing Regional Park moved into the delivery phase. In July 2025, Ealing Council was awarded a £999,595 National Lottery Heritage Fund grant through Nature Towns and Cities, the national partnership between Natural England, the National Trust and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. London's City Hall invested a further £1.5 million, bringing this major new greenspace closer to reality. The West London Regional Park will connect 585,000 additional Londoners within a 30-minute walk of green space, enhance more than 500 hectares of habitat, and create a new 13km route linking parks and waterways across the area. On the ground, that means walking and cycling heritage trails, wetland protection and rewilding, tree planting, wayfinding improvements and spaces where sport, community life and wildlife can thrive side by side. Strategic green infrastructure that will create a greener, healthier west London for generations to come. #### **Greater Manchester Green Summit** On 3 March, representatives from Natural England attended the GMCA Green Summit alongside hundreds of partners. Standout sessions included young people driving climate innovation and a walking workshop on Cyan Lines, an ambitious plan to connect over 100 miles of green and blue routes across Salford and Manchester, another grantee of the Nature and Cities programme. Watch this video to find out more. Natural England had two stands at the event, and the interest from attendees was tremendous, reflecting a real appetite for urban greening across the North. From Bristol to Bonn, west London to Greater Manchester, the first months of 2026 have shown just how much nature matters to urban communities. As this week's extreme temperatures remind us, urban areas face the greatest risks from a warming world and green spaces are one of our most powerful tools for keeping communities cool, healthy and resilient. The case for putting nature at the heart of how we plan and build our towns and cities has never been stronger.

_**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 development._ * * * Last week I had the pleasure of speaking at UKREiiF — the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum — one of the largest gatherings of its kind in the country, bringing together more than 16,000 delegates from across the public and private sectors. Investors, developers, local authorities, and government bodies, united by a shared ambition to shape the built environment of the future. Natural England was proud to have a strong presence at the conference this year, alongside partners such as Nature North, and government departments and Arm's Length Bodies. Nature can no longer be a footnote in discussions about development and growth. This year, from flood risk, climate resilience to health impacts, it was woven through the fabric of the event — the vital foundation upon which economic prosperity depends. Speaking on a Panel discussion about ‘Keeping the UK at the Forefront of Nature-Friendly Development’, alongside RSPB, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, and Highways Agency, we discussed the strategic approaches to development that can help us to deliver both economies of scale for developers and nature led development. _Across the conference, conversations we had were characterised by a shared recognition: that nature-positive development is not a concession to environmental concern. It is a smarter, stronger, more resilient way to build._ © UKREiiF #### **Nature is essential infrastructure** For too long, nature and economic growth have been cast as opposing forces — a trade-off to be managed rather than an opportunity to be seized. That narrative is changing, and UKREiiF reflected that shift. Healthy ecosystems are not a luxury. They underpin our food and water supplies, manage the climate impacts that threaten our communities — flooding, extreme heat, drought — and deliver the wellbeing and health outcomes that make places worth living in. Nature is essential national infrastructure, as fundamental to our future as transport, energy, and digital connectivity. We heard time and again how much people enjoy living in nature rich spaces, and how that can be turned to a competitive advantage. The question is no longer whether we can afford to invest in nature. The question is whether we can afford not to. #### **Planning system that works for everyone** The current planning and regulatory system is not working effectively — neither for development nor for nature. The impacts of development on nature — water pollution, air pollution, habitat fragmentation, recreational disturbance are difficult to address site by site. But there is a real win-win available to us if we think at scale. The Planning and Infrastructure Act represents a real opportunity to move in the right direction. The Nature Restoration Fund and Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) will enable us to move away from site-by-site mitigation towards landscape-scale nature restoration — targeting resources to the issues, locations and methods that deliver the greatest environmental benefit. _Natural England's role is to be the partner that helps unlock that potential. © UKREiiF_ #### **The opportunity ahead** Local leaders and Combined Authorities played a key role throughout the conference with bold ambition to drive investment into their regions. Nature can support these growth ambitions and create healthier, more resilient and investable places. Spatial Development Strategies were a continued theme across the conference, which present a new opportunity to embed nature recovery and climate resilience into strategic planning from the very beginning. If we fully integrate Local Nature Recovery Strategies and Green Infrastructure Standards into every SDS, we can create a planning system that drives nature recovery alongside housing delivery and economic growth. Nature and green spaces can also be incorporated into master plans for major developments such as New Towns, making it clear to developers what will be expected, and to the those who will live there what they will gain. The government's ambition to build 1.5 million new homes this Parliament is bold and right. Natural England is committed to helping deliver it — not as a barrier to be navigated, but as an active partner in making it happen. We –planners, developers and regulators and consultees like Natural England - need to work together and be innovative and bold to make it easier, cheaper and quicker to make planning decisions, by focusing on the outcome we all want: nature rich communities that are good places to live and work. This includes trusting each other to do the best for growth and nature. #### A genuine win-win Leaving UKREiiF last week, I felt optimistic. Across the conference, conversations we had were characterised by a shared recognition: that nature-positive development is not a concession to environmental concern. It is a smarter, stronger, more resilient way to build. Nature is the backbone of healthy, prosperous, beautiful places. It delivers clean air and water, climate resilience, improved health and wellbeing — and increasingly, a competitive advantage for those willing to embrace it. Natural England's role is to be the partner that helps unlock that potential.

**By Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England** * * * _In this blog, our Chair Tony Juniper reflects on a recent site visit to a solar farm in Essex where he saw first-hand how clean solar energy can be delivered alongside measures to support biodiversity and to help nature recover. At Natural England, we give advice to developers to get the best outcomes for nature. This blog explores how the Government’s clean power and nature recovery goals can be delivered together._ * * * It’s great to see infrastructure projects showcased for their green credentials. And my recent visit to a solar farm was one of these. As we walked through wildflower meadows with Cetti’s Warblers singing from thick hedges, Whitethroats singing and newly arrived Swallows flying overhead, I was impressed by how this site has championed clean power while simultaneously supporting biodiversity. There's a common assumption that clean energy infrastructure comes at a cost to the natural environment. But this is a false choice – solar farms, done well, can actively support Nature recovery alongside energy generation. And that’s exactly what I witnessed at Langenhoe, a site managed by NextEnergy Capital near Colchester, Essex. The Government recently announced its ambition to roughly triple solar power capacity by 2030, making solar a core pillar of a clean, secure electricity system. This forms part of the Government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan which recognises the need to integrate clean power and the natural environment to tackle the climate and Nature crises. Similarly, in Natural England’s new Strategy, we set out how recovering Nature will be a vital pillar to help deliver the infrastructure that the country needs. Solar farms are now a familiar sight in our landscapes; onshore wind farms are once again starting to come through the planning process, following changes to national planning policy in 2024; and large, offshore wind farms continue to progress through the planning process and into construction. _Well managed solar farms can support nature and farming. © Langenhoe Solar Asset - NextEnergy Capital_ #### **Risks and opportunities for Nature recovery** As we move towards 2030 and beyond, clean power generation capacity will increase rapidly. Only a few weeks ago, in early April, a new record was set for solar in Great Britain with over 14,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity being generated. We will see new electricity transmission, distribution and storage infrastructure too. All this development presents risks and opportunities for Nature recovery. At Natural England, we work with developers to get the best outcomes for Nature. Plus, the recently launched Land Use Framework sets out a vision of a more integrated way of managing England’s land. The new Framework shows how Nature, food production, clean energy and housing can complement each other rather than compete. #### **Natural England’s role** Site selection happens early in a project’s development. At this stage, taking the opportunity to avoid the most sensitive sites will benefit Nature and will also make the planning process smoother. Natural England’s SSSI Impact Risk Zones are a useful tool that developers can make use of to help with this. Environmental records and site surveys will also be valuable. We encourage developers to use our Discretionary Advice Service as they consider their options and progress their designs. Our advice helps to reduce consenting risks and benefits Nature recovery too. We want to work with developers from the outset to identify environmental impacts so that mitigation measures can be designed into the projects from the start. Where projects are clustered together, there may be cumulative effects. it is important that assessment spots these effects early so that developers and regulatory authorities can join up mitigation at the most efficient scale. Typical impacts for a solar farm might include impacts on landscape character, agricultural soils, protected species, or areas used by important bird populations for feeding or roosting near to protected sites. Sensitive design and construction methods are needed to mitigate these impacts. In some cases, where not all impacts can be mitigated for, there may be a need for habitat compensation. Biodiversity Net Gain will also need to be planned for. _Marian Spain and Tony Juniper visited Langenhoe solar farm in Essex. © Langenhoe Solar Asset - NextEnergy Capital_ #### **Environmental enhancements** Solar farms offer great opportunities for environmental enhancements on site. For example, some developers are investigating the potential for re-wetting peat soils beneath solar panels, to help store carbon and mitigate for climate change as well as providing habitat benefits. Within individual sites, there are opportunities for multiple benefits to be gained from the land. For example, between and beneath solar panels, soils may be protected, wildflower habitats can be managed, and some grazing may be possible. Boundary features such as hedgerows and ditches may be enhanced for nature and to integrate the site into the landscape. #### **Best practice** It was great to see Langenhoe in action. This solar farm has been operational for over a decade now. It was developed on agricultural land next to the Colne Estuary Special Protection Area, Ramsar and SSSI and close to the Essex Estuaries Special Area of Conservation. The project included mitigation measures for impacts on wintering birds associated with those sites, as well as enhancements including wildflower habitat, scrub planting, bug hotels and hibernacula. In 2025 a pair of corn buntings was recorded inside the solar farm for the first time, feeding in the north‑west wildflower meadow, a significant result for this red‑listed farmland bird. I was interested to see how the site had matured, what the ecological monitoring had found on site, and to hear the site operator’s perspective on the successes and challenges of managing the solar farm alongside nature. Hing Kin Lee, Group Lead for Nature from NextEnergy Capital, told me: > “ _At NextEnergy Capital, we design and manage solar with nature in mind from day one - not as an afterthought. By integrating biodiversity, land management and cost considerations early, we can identify key risks and dependencies upfront, from soil health to habitat connectivity and long-term land use._ > > __“_ This approach reduces delivery risk, avoids costly late-stage mitigation and ultimately creates more resilient assets. In practice, it enables us to deliver solar farms that not only support climate goals, but also actively contribute to nature recovery while enhancing long-term performance and value.”_ Chris Hewett, CEO at Solar Energy UK said: > _“Solar farms, managed well, can boost nature and support farming, as well as generating clean, affordable electricity. Solar Energy UK has been working with its members for five years on ecological monitoring, best practice land management and creating major biodiversity gains on solar farms across the country. Independent research from RSPB is now showing significant improvements in bird populations on solar farms compared to surrounding arable land._ > > _“We were delighted to show the Natural England leadership around a solar farm to show what can be done for nature on these sites and look forward to working more closely with the team in the years to come.”_ This site, not much over 30ha, is producing enough electricity for seven or eight thousand homes and has led to more biodiversity being present at the site of the solar installation compared with what was there before, with a net gain of 80%. Less than 5% of the land surface is changed to buildings or hardstanding, with most of the ground around the power producing technology and between and beneath the panels capable of supporting wildlife. Looking at this site and it is apparent that the alignment between solar energy and Nature can be strong and good outcomes achieved via inexpensive common sense measures. At Natural England we believe the benefits for Nature recovery arising from solar power can be significant and we want to work with developers from the earliest stages of project design to get the best for Nature and growth. This project shows what's possible. The Clean Energy Superpower Mission is one of the government’s five core national missions, led by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Its central commitment is to deliver clean power by 2030 and accelerate the transition to net zero, while cutting bills, strengthening energy security and creating jobs across the UK.

**By Clare Webb, Countryside Code Project Manager at Natural England.** * * * _In this blog, Countryside Code Project Manager Clare Webb_ _reflects on the evolution of the code over the last 75 years, and how her work has changed to accommodate evolving social and environmental landscapes while retaining the core message: respect, protect, enjoy._ * * * #### **Respect, protect and enjoy** This May marks a significant milestone: 75 years of the Countryside Code. Since its beginnings in the 1950s, the Code has played a vital role in helping people enjoy the outdoors while respecting the landscapes, wildlife and communities that make England and Wales's countryside so special. As Countryside Code Project Manager at Natural England, it’s a privilege to reflect on 75 years of a simple but powerful idea: that everyone should be able to enjoy the outdoors responsibly. This anniversary offers a moment to look back on how the Code has evolved, and forward to the role it continues to play in connecting people with nature. _The cover of the 1951 Country Code book_ #### **A code born from change** The Countryside Code was first published in May 1951, following the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. As access to the countryside expanded and more people began exploring rural areas for recreation and wellbeing, there was a growing need for shared understanding about how to do so responsibly. The Code was created not as a set of rules or legislation, but as practical guidance, ideas and suggestions to help people respect the countryside and each other. At its heart were three principles: * Respect other people * Protect the natural environment * Enjoy the outdoors safely and responsibly These core messages have endured for 75 years, even as the context around them has changed. #### **How society has changed** Over the past 75 years, the way we live — and how we engage with the outdoors — has changed dramatically: These figures highlight how increased mobility, leisure time and connectivity have transformed our relationship with the countryside. _1951 Thelwell illustration advising the public to keep to paths across farmland_ _'Joe and Petunia', Countryside Code campaign 1971_ #### **Evolving with how we use the countryside** The Countryside Code has never stood still. Over the decades it has responded to profound social and environmental change: increased mobility, evolving leisure habits, growing awareness of nature conservation, and the challenges of climate change. How people use and experience the countryside has also diversified. For many, their “countryside” may be urban green spaces, city parks or local nature reserves rather than remote rural locations. The modernised Countryside Code reflects this reality. It uses clearer, more inclusive language and recognises that the countryside is a shared space. It balances the needs of visitors with those of farmers, land managers, businesses and local communities, reinforcing mutual respect and shared responsibility. _Countryside Code gets a refresh, 2010_ #### **Sharing the message in new ways** The way we communicate the Countryside Code has evolved just as much as the Code itself. My own journey with the Code began as a Brownie in the 1980s, and I’ve now been working with it professionally for over a decade. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we saw a huge surge in outdoor use as people turned to nature during lockdown. Interest in the Code grew rapidly, creating an opportunity to refresh and relaunch it with partners. This led to a series of campaigns designed to reach new and broader audiences. We’ve had great success with digital campaigns designed to engage specific audiences such as younger audiences and families. I am most proud of our two year partnership with Aardman and Shaun the Sheep which reached over 1 million people on social media alone and enabled partners to share content across their own platforms, delivering engaging, accessible messaging in a fun and memorable way. By meeting people where they are, online, in schools, at gateways to the countryside, the Code remains visible, relevant and impactful. _The 2023 Shaun the Sheep x Countryside Code campaign with Aardman_ #### **With thanks, and looking ahead** As we celebrate 75 years of the Countryside Code, we also celebrate the countless people and organisations who have shaped it — a shared effort that has helped generations connect with and care for the outdoors. These partnerships are the foundation of its success, and the reason its message continues to resonate today. Looking ahead, as more people seek connection with nature, the importance of the Countryside Code has never been greater. Its message remains simple, enduring and powerful: the countryside is for everyone, and caring for it is a shared responsibility. Here’s to 75 years of respect, enjoyment and stewardship, and to many more to come. * * * **Further information:** If you are interested to see how experiences are changing, explore the People and Nature Survey data collected and published by Natural England. You can explore a wide range of historic materials on the Countryside Code website, showcasing how messaging and design have changed over time. * * *

**By Alice Howard, Senior Data Scientist** * * * Defra and Natural England have published the 2026 habitat target metric, showing that action has been undertaken on 77,638 hectares to create or restore wildlife-rich habitat across England since January 2023, nearly double last year's reported figure. The update includes data from a wider range of Defra group partners and, for the first time, contributions from external organisations such as Buglife and the Newt Conservation Partnership. While there is still much more to do on the journey to the Environment Act target of 500,000 hectares by 2042, the evidence shows that habitat creation and restoration is well underway. * * * Conservation mix on an arable field margin. Credit: Peter Roworth Creating and restoring habitats is crucial for restoring England’s biodiversity and recovering our nature. The Environment Act habitat target is to restore or create 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat outside of protected sites, by 2042. In 2025, we published the first habitat target metric to show progress towards the habitat target, which showed that action had been undertaken on 38,877 hectares since January 2023. This marked an important milestone in understanding how delivery towards the statutory target was beginning to take shape. Defra and Natural England have now published the 2026 habitat target metric. This new metric gives us an updated picture of what is happening on the ground to deliver habitat for nature, with additional data and new contributions from external partners. The updated evidence shows that since January 2023 there are now 77,638 hectares where action has been undertaken to create or restore wildlife-rich habitat across England. This represents an increase on last year’s reported figure, reflecting both additional delivery on the ground and the inclusion of further datasets. This year’s figure now includes data on habitats provided from a wide range of partners working hard to create new wildlife-rich habitats. These include Defra group delivery from Natural England, the Environment Agency, the Farming Directorate (Countryside Stewardship and the Sustainable Farming Incentive), Farming in Protected Landscapes, the Forestry Commission, Forestry England, and the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme. For the first time, the analysis also includes data provided voluntarily from external partners, such as Buglife, Plantlife, National Trails and the Newt Conservation Partnership, reflecting the vital role that partnership working plays in restoring nature. The new reporting figure reflects only part of total delivery towards the habitat target, as not all delivery mechanisms can be included at this stage. Some mechanisms, such as Landscape Recovery, are still in the early stages and have not yet reached the point where data is available for reporting. As these mechanisms continue to scale up, we expect reported habitat creation and restoration to increase over time. In the meantime, the evidence is consistent with our expectations as we work towards 2042. The habitat target metric shows that, as expected, agri-environment schemes have delivered most of the target to date. This is because many schemes are well established meaning creation of habitat could happen relatively quickly. Most delivery to date has come from arable field margins with comparatively smaller areas delivered for habitats such as heathland, ponds, and coastal and riparian habitats. Arable field margin habitats are relatively easy to create, and the science behind them is well understood. Because we need to ensure the full range of wildlife‑rich habitats are restored or created, the contribution of wildflower rich arable field margins is capped at 40,000 hectares. This cap has now been reached. This does not mean that no further arable field margins will be created or funded. Rather, additional delivery of this habitat type will not be added to the reported total, and over the lifetime of the target some arable field margins are likely to fall out of schemes and be replaced by others. The report also provides information on where action is being taken, reported by the amount of delivery in each Local Nature Recovery Strategy area. For the first time, this includes a national map showing the geographic distribution of reported habitat creation and restoration across England. This map helps provides insight into whether delivery is contributing to the Lawton principles of more, bigger, better and joined up sites for nature. It shows that while some larger habitat patches are emerging, much delivery continues to occur in smaller patches across England. Projects such as those under Landscape Recovery will be important for landscape scale delivery in future years. Planted hedgerow gaps. Credit: Peter Roworth Going forward, the intention is for the habitat target metric to be incorporated into future releases of the England Biodiversity Indicators, with the next update planned for winter 2026. Producing the 2025 and 2026 habitat target metric has been a genuinely collaborative effort between Natural England and Defra, underpinning how progress towards the statutory habitat target is understood. There is much more to do, but this habitat target metric shows that work to create and restore habitat is well underway.

There has been recent reporting in the media and on social media around Natural England’s role in delivering the Nutrient Mitigation Scheme. Natural England has a statutory duty to support sustainable development. We work with developers and planning authorities to support the building of new homes and help them comply with environmental law. #### **How the Nutrient Mitigation Scheme works:** Nutrient pollution is an urgent problem for freshwater habitats and estuaries which provide a vital home to many species including wetland birds, fish, and insects. Increased levels of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus can disrupt natural processes and harm wildlife. Since the implementation of nutrient neutrality in 2019 the private market has been developing to meet the new market need. In 2022 this market was not developing quickly enough to enable new homes, so the government directed Natural England to establish the Nutrient Mitigation Scheme. Natural England’s Nutrient Mitigation Scheme helps developers secure planning permission for homes in areas affected by high levels of nutrient pollution. It does this by enabling developers to buy “nutrient credits”. These credits can come from land use change or projects that create new wetlands or woodlands, which help soak up and reduce nutrient pollution. This means new homes can be built without increasing pollution in protected rivers and lakes. Natural England also has a statutory duty to advise local planning authorities on how nutrient pollution can be reduced. However, local planning authorities make the final decisions on planning applications. This scheme operates to the same set of standards expected in the private market. Despite some growth in the private market remain clear gaps remain when it comes to tackling nutrient impacts in some parts of the country. When the Planning and Infrastructure Act passed into law in 2025, the government reinforced the need for public sector intervention, tasking Natural England with the development of Environmental Delivery Plans to address nutrient pollution starting from 2026. #### **Claim: Natural England’s Nutrient Mitigation Scheme creates conflict of interest.** **Response:** We reject this. As with any public body, decisions are taken objectively and in line with our statutory purpose and direction from government. In accordance with the Direction from the Secretary of State of 28 July 2022, Natural England only intervenes to establish nutrient mitigation schemes itself where there is market failure, prioritising those catchments where interventions will have the most impact in addressing development pressures. #### **Claim: Natural England is “making money” from Nutrient Neutrality.** **Response:** In accordance with the Direction from the Secretary of State of 28 July 2022, Natural England only intervenes to establish nutrient mitigation schemes itself where there is market failure, prioritising those catchments where interventions will have the most impact in addressing development pressures. We do this on a cost recovery basis and, as per the rules that apply to public bodies, do not derive a profit. #### **Claim:** **Natural England’s dual role as regulator and administrator creates an uneven playing field.** **Response:** We recognise the risks flagged by Office for Environmental Protection and the need to separate regulatory functions from commercial markets. We are committed to ensuring that Natural England’s advisory and regulatory functions are objective and delivered with high degree of integrity and robust internal governance within decision making.One example of where we have managed this effectively is for District level Licencing, where private operators have been clear that in some places the private market is not commercially viable and alternative delivery models are needed. In this instance we have worked in an entirely complementary way with the private market. #### Conclusion Our ambition is to support nature whilst enabling the building of houses the country needs whilst finding swifter and cost-effective ways for developers to meet their environmental obligations. We are focused on finding the solutions which work for people and nature to enable development to go ahead, and this is a core part of our latest corporate strategy. Nature recovery and sustainable development must go hand in hand. Thriving nature is essential for our nation’s growth, health and security. Through the Nature Restoration Fund, we can deliver new homes and make it easier for developers to meet their obligations to protect sites and species by investing at scale in nature’s recovery and restoring the natural systems that underpin our prosperity and protect our wellbeing. To read more: Building Britain’s Future: Why Nature and Growth Go Hand in Hand – Natural England

**By Roxanne Gardiner, Senior Officer, Natural England Wildlife Licensing Service and Olivia Beatty, Higher Officer, Wessex Area Team** * * * Natural England has issued a licence enabling the next phase of white-tailed eagle reintroductions in southern England, permitting the release of up to 20 birds in Exmoor National Park over three years. In this blog, Senior Officer Roxanne Gardiner and Higher Officer Olivia Beatty explain Natural England's role in assessing the application, how potential risks, including concerns from the farming sector, were carefully considered, and why Exmoor has been chosen as the next release site. * * * White-tailed eagles hunting as a pair. Credit: Ainsley Bennett Natural England has joined Forestry England, the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Exmoor National Park Authority in announcing the exciting next steps in reintroducing white‑tailed eagles to southern England. Natural England has issued the licence that enables this next phase of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation- and Forestry England led project to move forward. The licence permits the release of up to 20 white‑tailed eagles in Exmoor National Park over three years, and sits alongside the existing licence for the successful Isle of Wight project, which has resulted in the first breeding white tailed eagles in England for 240 years (Natural England issues licence to release white-tailed eagles – Natural England; White-tailed eagle reintroduction project | Forestry England). White‑tailed eagles are our largest native bird of prey. Once widespread throughout England’s coasts and wetlands, they were lost due to human persecution. Their return in recent years is a powerful symbol of nature recovery that has captured the public imagination; and shown how ambitious but well‑planned conservation projects can help restore nature. As top predators and scavengers, white tailed eagles help to balance the ecology of our landscapes, regulating prey populations, recycling nutrients and driving higher biodiversity. By harassing and controlling intermediate predators like buzzards and magpies, they also help protect smaller birds and mammals from over-predation. On the Isle of Wight, there is already evidence that more lapwing chicks are fledging as a result. White-tailed eagle in flight. Credit Paul Jackson The selection of Exmoor as a new release site reflects the wider shared ambitions that Natural England and Exmoor National Park Authority have long been working towards - a landscape where nature is recovering at scale. Detailed feasibility studies have been led by the Project and historical records confirm that white‑tailed eagles once bred along the Exmoor coastline. Tracking data from birds released on the Isle of Wight shows that several have already visited the Exmoor area. Exmoor’s mix of coastal, woodland and wetland habitats provide excellent conditions for the species as it continues to re‑establish in southern England. **Natural England’s role in enabling responsible reintroductions** Natural England’s role in this project is as the **statutory wildlife licensing authority**. Our responsibility is to assess applications for conservation translocations carefully and transparently, ensuring they meet the high standards set out in Defra’s Reintroductions and other conservation translocations: code and guidance for England. Staff from **Natural England’s Wildlife Licensing Service** led the detailed, evidence‑led assessment of the application submitted by the Project. The assessment considered the contribution of the project nationally to white‑tailed eagle recovery. We also considered: * The likely success of the project in terms of white-tailed eagle recovery * Experience of the project partners * Governance and long‑term funding arrangements * Disease and biosecurity risks * Ecological risks and opportunities * Socio‑economic risks and opportunities including the potential to affect farm businesses * Monitoring and management proposals Natural England’s **Wessex Area Team** played a leading role in assessing the potential impacts of the Project on protected sites and led the **Habitats Regulations Assessment**. This work was done in collaboration with Natural England’s **Chief Scientist Directorate** , bringing together local knowledge and national scientific expertise. They focused on how the released eagles are **most likely to use the landscape**. Evidence shows that young birds may spend several years exploring areas across the UK and into northern Europe, but when they settle and establish breeding territories it is usually within 60km of the release site. Basing the assessment on this well‑understood behaviour, the team was able to look carefully at **realistic ways the released birds might interact with nearby protected sites and key species within those sites** in the years following release. Pair of released white-tailed eagles looking forward. Credit: Forestry England We are aware that some stakeholders have raised concerns about the project, especially around livestock predation. Our team have joined meetings with farming sector representatives and read the local consultation responses. These concerns have been fully considered by both the project and Natural England. We understand that there are genuine fears but have also reflected on evidence from six years of monitoring the 45 birds released by the Isle of Wight project, and their offspring, which shows no recorded feeding on lambs or other livestock. These birds have only been observed to take natural prey, preferring fish and coastal birds, which is in line with comparable areas in Europe. The project management plan and licence conditions include some key measures that we are confident should mitigate the concerns that have been raised: * There will be a project steering group that includes farming sector representatives. * There is a commitment to long‑term monitoring of the eagles’ activities, both through GPS tracking and through activity reporting forms. * The licence duration is for 11 years, by which time released birds will hopefully have settled and begun breeding. * There will be a communications plan and project officer, with the aim of raising awareness, supporting monitoring, and ensuring that emerging concerns are investigated and, where appropriate, addressed. * The project partners have shared a letter of commitment with farming sector representatives and the wider steering group, setting out that they will continue monitoring and engagement beyond the 11-year licence period. In assessing the project, Natural England has taken a balanced and evidence‑led approach, applying the principles of the Code and Guidance in a way that supports ambition for nature recovery, while remaining proportionate, transparent and impartial, and consistent with our statutory duties. We hope this gives confidence that risks have been carefully considered and appropriately managed. A white-tailed eagle. Credit: R. Saunders **A flagship project for nature recovery** This project forms part of a wider effort to support the recovery of white‑tailed eagles across England, alongside projects and proposals in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Natural England continues to work closely with other regulators to share learning and promote best practice for responsible species reintroductions. We are pleased to support this next phase of a landmark conservation programme and look forward to continuing to work with the project team as releases begin this summer. You can read more about today’s announcement in the **joint press release** , led by Forestry England on behalf of the project partners.

**By Jeremy Sabel and Matt Heydon Natural England’s Species Recovery & Reintroductions Team** * * * Projects involving the release of white stork _Ciconia ciconia_ capture the public imagination. If fairy tales are to be believed, white storks bring good luck and deliver babies. In England, we have an establishing population of white stork at Knepp in West Sussex and other projects actively releasing or planning releases of white storks and black storks _Ciconia negra_. However, these projects confront us with some challenging questions. Are releases legal? Is there any evidence either of these species were ever native breeding birds? Should we be releasing white stork, black stork and other bird species into the wild in England? This blog sets out Natural England’s current thinking on this topic. * * * A white stork released in Devon, 2025. Credit: Richie Moore ## **The legal baseline** The law includes provisions to prevent the release into the wild of certain plants and animals which may cause ecological, environmental, or socio-economic harm. To achieve this, the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 prohibits the introduction into the wild of any animal that ‘is of a kind which is not ordinarily resident in and is not a regular visitor to Great Britain in a wild state’ or ‘is included in Part I of Schedule 9’. We explain our interpretations of ‘ordinarily resident’ and ‘regular visitor’ later in this blog. White stork is a regular visitor with an establishing population due to releases. It is not listed on Schedule 9 so **no licence is currently required to release white stork in England.** Natural England considers that black stork is neither ordinarily resident in, nor a regular visitor to Britain in a wild state. **This means that a licence is required to release black stork in England.** ## **Are these birds native? What does the evidence tell us?** There is no definition of native species in English law, but Natural England published the definition that it uses in a previous blog. There is one breeding record of white stork in Britain, from Scotland in 1416. Prior to recent releases there were no English breeding records of white stork and none of black stork. Both species are rare in archaeological finds, and at Mediaeval sites there is just one record of white stork despite numerous other wild bird species’ remains. There are records of imports of ‘storks’ from Calais in the 16th Century. There is very little evidence of there ever being a sustained presence of white stork or black stork as English breeding species or as regular migrants. By our definition, neither stork species was ever a native breeding bird. Black stork. Credit: Marek Szczepanek **What does best practice guidance tell us?** All species introductions or conservation translocations should follow the Reintroductions and Conservation Translocations Code for England. This requires among other things: * A clear conservation need * A detailed feasibility study * Robust risk assessment, including appropriate sourcing, welfare and biosecurity measures * Engagement with stakeholders, experts and the public * Maximising long-term success through adaptive management and monitoring * A viable exit strategy if a self-sustaining population cannot be achieved **Should we introduce white or black stork?** Natural England recognises the value of white stork as a visible and charismatic species in engaging people with nature but releases of this species are not a priority for us. The white stork is a generalist predator of a variety of species including invertebrates, small mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish. Any project should consider both the impact of introducing this new predator on other species at the proposed release location, and the ability of the habitat to support the needs of the released storks in the long-term. Any releases of white storks on a protected site will likely require consent from Natural England to ensure features of the site will not be negatively impacted. In the absence of evidence that black stork is a native species, there is a presumption against granting any licence to introduce this species. **What about other bird species?** The release of any species that is neither ‘ordinarily resident’ nor a ‘regular visitor’ will require a licence from Natural England. Natural England interprets the legal terms ‘ordinarily resident’ and ‘regular visitor’ as the predictable presence of breeding, non-breeding and passage populations (not just individuals), within the species’ occupied range. This interpretation excludes species whose presence cannot be predicted at any given time or location. These species are considered as vagrants and/or scarce migrants, and their release is prohibited in England except under a licence issued by Natural England. Natural England remains open to considering new evidence as to the status of any species including changes resulting from climate change or other factors. **Further advice** Anyone considering introducing any species should submit a conservation translocation scoping form. Advice is available from Natural England speciesrecoveryreintroduction@naturalengland.org.uk.

Recent reporting on Hinkley Point C contains a number of inaccuracies regarding Natural England’s role, legal duties, and position on fish protection measures. Natural England is firmly committed to enabling nationally significant infrastructure while ensuring compliance with environmental law. In building a new nuclear power station, EDF is delivering a complex and much needed project and Natural England along with other regulators are working alongside them to ensure that happens lawfully. The Severn estuary is globally unique and a hugely important place supporting the many communities and economies that surround it. Any short term costs to protect its ecosystem are an investment in its future. Claims that Natural England is blocking the project, acting disproportionately, changing its position, or ignoring evidence are incorrect. Our advice has been consistent and measured and has not changed. The mitigation measures in question were agreed by all parties as part of the original Development Consent Order (DCO) in 2013. Natural England’s role is to advise on whether those agreed measures will be effective, not to introduce new requirements. There are also clear Operational Safety reasons to implement these measures. This blog refutes those inaccuracies. **Claim: “Natural England is demanding new salt marsh creation on top of existing measures” and “would delay Hinkley by eight years.”** **Our position:** Natural England is not demanding a salt marsh to be created. We are working closely with EDF to ensure that mitigation is effective. Our advice, alongside colleagues in the Environment Agency (EA), Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), has not materially changed since the DCO was granted in 2013. The legal requirement agreed by all parties remains unchanged: where impacts on protected species remain, the developer must demonstrate either that: a) impacts are fully mitigated; or b) appropriate compensation is secured. **Claim: “Natural England is refusing to sign off the plant.”** **Our position:** Natural England does not “sign off” nuclear power stations. Our statutory role is to provide independent scientific advice to the relevant competent authorities. We continue to work constructively with EDF and regulators to resolve outstanding issues. There has been no refusal, no ultimatum, and no attempt to halt the project. **Claim: “Natural England is ignoring positive trial data on the acoustic fish deterrent.”** **Our position:** Natural England has explicitly recognised and welcomed the encouraging results from recent AFD trials, particularly high‑frequency trials relevant to twaite shad, the species considered most at risk. Field data for other protected species such as Atlantic salmon and cod — which have different behaviours and conservation considerations - is not yet available. **Claim: “Natural England is acting disproportionately and out of touch with reality.”** **Our position:** Natural England is applying the same legal tests that apply to every major infrastructure project in the UK. Our advice is grounded in statutory duties under the Habitats Regulations, the best available scientific evidence and the government’s established policy framework. We are working to enable the project, not obstruct it. **Claim: “Natural England is threatening Britain’s energy security.”** **Our position:** We do not accept this. Our role is to ensure that nationally significant infrastructure complies with environmental law so that projects are legally robust and protected from challenge - the very challenges that cause the most serious delays. We are working alongside EDF, the EA and NRW to keep this important project on track. We are not aware of any project delays resulting from Natural England’s current advice on environmental mitigation measures. **Claim: “Natural England is contradicting the government’s steer on proportionate regulation.”** **Our position:** Natural England fully supports the government’s emphasis on proportionate, timely and enabling regulation. This is exactly the approach Natural England is taking at Hinkley Point C. **Claim: “Natural England is responsible for potential delays to the 2030 opening date.”** **Our position:** Natural England does not control the project timetable and is not aware of any delay to the project timetable arising from the current work on AFDs. **Claim: “Natural England is making disproportionate design change demands.”** **Our position:** Natural England has not required design changes to the power station. Our role is to advise on the effectiveness of mitigation already agreed in the 2013 DCO. These mitigation measures were supported by all parties at the time consent was granted. Our advice relates solely to the environmental impacts of the cooling water system - a known and significant pressure on migratory fish in the Severn Estuary. **Natural England’s Actual Position** Natural England is committed to enabling this vital infrastructure project while ensuring the UK meets its environmental obligations. Development and nature recovery can and must be delivered together. **Dave Slater, Regional Director for Natural England said** : > "Development and nature are not competing interests. Building the UK's largest nuclear power station is a major undertaking which brings significant environmental challenges and we are playing our part in finding solutions to enable this vital infrastructure development to go ahead while improving environmental outcomes. > > “The findings on the effectiveness of the Acoustic Fish Deterrent are encouraging, and Natural England is continuing to work closely with EDF to deliver this incredibly important project, while meeting its legal obligations.”

* * * **By Tracey Hill, Senior Officer - Sites , Nature and People** * * * _Natural England is making it easier than ever to submit requests relating to protected sites. From 20 April 2026, we are introducing Defra Forms, a new online submission portal, as the primary route for applications and enquiries affecting Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and other protected sites. Whether you are a landowner seeking consent, a public body with an assent request, or a developer looking for early advice, the new system is designed to make the process clearer, more consistent and more straightforward. Read on to find out what is changing, what it means for you, and how to get started._ * * * Natural England is introducing Defra Forms - an online submission portal - as the primary route for submitting requests relating to Protected Sites, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). This change is part of wider work to modernise how statutory casework is received and processed. It aims to create a clearer, more consistent experience for those seeking advice or permission to carry out activities that may affect protected sites. From 20th April 2026, applicants will be able to submit requests using the new online forms. These will cover advice requests, SSSI consent applications and public body assent requests. **Why this change is happening** Natural England receives thousands of enquiries each year relating to activities affecting protected sites. These requests currently arrive through a mixture of emails, letters and informal enquiries. The new tool introduces a structured online route for submissions. This helps ensure that the key details required for assessment are captured early in the process, minimising the need for NE to go back to the customer for additional information. By improving the quality and consistency of submissions, Natural England can process requests more efficiently and provide clearer responses. **What the new tool will cover** The new system will support three main types of requests: **1. SSSI Consent applications** Landowners or occupiers must obtain Natural England’s consent before carrying out certain activities on SSSI land. Sites of Special Scientific Interest - a guide for landowners These activities are known as Operations Requiring Natural England’s Consent (ORNEC)**** and may include works such as drainage, vegetation clearance, construction, or changes in land management. The new consent form provides a structured way for applicants to describe the proposed activity, its location and timing, and to submit any supporting documents. **2. Public body Assent requests** Public authorities also have legal duties when carrying out operations that may affect SSSIs. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, public bodies can consult Natural England and obtain Assent before carrying out operations that could damage an SSSI. The new Assent form enables organisations such as local authorities, infrastructure operators and statutory agencies to submit these requests through a consistent online route. On 17 June 2024, Natural England introduced changes to how we handle notices relating to Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) Assent. These changes apply to those acting on behalf of public bodies subject to section 28G of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (as amended). The changes focused on four key areas: * Public bodies must screen proposed activities and only submit assent notices where the activity is likely to disturb or damage the special features of a SSSI. * Public bodies must carry out a Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) where activities are planned on or near a SSSI that is also designated as a European site. * Where insufficient information is provided in an assent notice, Natural England may request further information or ask that the notice is withdrawn. * Where a consent notice is submitted in place of an assent notice, Natural England may request that the notice is withdrawn and resubmitted correctly. Building on this approach, Defra Forms provides a structured online route to help ensure notices are proportionate, complete and aligned with statutory duties. **3. Advice requests, including Section 28i Advice** Applicants can use the "Ask Natural England a Question or Get Advice" form when they need guidance about activities that may affect a protected site. This allows land managers, developers, consultants and environmental organisations to seek early guidance before progressing plans. This includes general advice enquiries, as well as formal Advice requests under Section 28i of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Section 28i places a duty on public bodies to consult Natural England before permitting operations that may damage a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). **Benefits for applicants** The new forms are designed to make the process clearer and easier for users. **1. Clearer guidance** Each form includes prompts explaining the information that Natural England needs in order to assess a request. This reduces uncertainty for applicants and helps ensure submissions contain the necessary detail from the outset. **2. Faster processing** Providing complete information at the start reduces the need for follow-up queries. This can help Natural England review requests more efficiently and provide decisions more quickly. **3. A more consistent process** Using a single digital route helps ensure requests are handled consistently across England. This benefits both applicants and Natural England staff by creating a clearer and more predictable process. **4. Improved transparency** Applicants will receive confirmation when their form has been submitted, helping to ensure that requests have been successfully received. Clearer information about proposed activities also supports better communication during the assessment process. **What this means for stakeholders** The new system will be relevant to a wide range of users, including: * Landowners and land managers * Environmental NGOs * Infrastructure and utility operators * Planning consultants and environmental professionals * Public authorities and statutory bodies Anyone planning activities that may affect an SSSI should ensure they are familiar with the new forms and the information required before submitting a request. **A gradual transition** Defra Forms will become the primary route for submitting requests relating to protected sites. However, Natural England recognises that not all users may be able to access online forms. In limited circumstances, current submission routes will remain available as exceptions. The Natural England enquiries team can support you with alternative submission routes, please contact **enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk** Notices of Proposal that have already been prepared and are ready for submission should be sent via the existing email route. **Looking ahead** The introduction of Defra Forms represents an important step in modernising how Natural England manages protected sites casework. By making it easier for applicants to submit clear and complete requests, the new system will help support both efficient case handling and effective protection of England’s most important wildlife sites. The new forms include built-in guidance to help you complete your submission. Use Defra Forms to guide you through submitting your request. * * *

**By Anna Oliveri, Senior Landscape Officer, Natural England** * * * _Abbotts Hall Farm on the Essex coast is quietly becoming one of England's most compelling examples of landscape-scale nature recovery in action. In this post, Senior Landscape Officer Anna Oliveri shares insights from a conversation with Essex Wildlife Trust, exploring how the site is being transformed into a publicly accessible nature reserve through partnership working, blended green finance, and a commitment to working with - rather than against - the natural landscape._ _From managed coastal realignment and habitat banking to millennia of hidden heritage and new walking routes along the King Charles III England Coast Path, Abbotts Hall shows how Natural England's strategy, 'Nature for Growth, Health and Security', can be brought to life in a way that benefits wildlife, communities and the economy alike._ * * * When I first arrived at Abbotts Hall, walking past the old farmhouse toward the saltmarsh creeks, I felt I’d stepped into a place that was both unassuming and quietly revolutionary. Mudflats shift with the tide, Marsh Harriers call across vast estuary skies, and coastal breezes ripple through the grasslands of a former arable farm. Yet this unhurried landscape epitomises Natural England’s new strategy, ‘Nature for Growth, Health and Security’ by restoring ecosystems at scale and showing how nature can thrive alongside people and the economy. In this article, I share key insights from the Abbotts Hall project based on our podcast conversation with Essex Wildlife Trust, who outline their ambitious plans to transform the site into a publicly accessible nature reserve funded through innovative green finance. The project will help reconnect landscapes across the Blackwater and Colne Estuaries and create new opportunities for people to explore the Essex coast along the King Charles III Coast Path. Abbotts Hall, looking inland towards former arable fields from the marshes and creeks. Credit: Anna Oliveri **Partnership working is key to nature recovery at scale** The Essex coastline forms part of a nationally and internationally significant network of wetlands, estuaries and nature-rich habitats. In our podcast, Dr Jeremy (Jez) Dagley, Director of Conservation at Essex Wildlife Trust, explains how Abbotts Hall is deliberately being designed as a hub for wider ecological connectivity rather than a standalone reserve, supporting a growing network for nature recovery. This means linking saltmarsh, grazing marsh, estuary and farmland habitats, particularly important for birds, across the surrounding area. View from the podcast recording location – the bird hide at Abbotts Hall, Essex overlooking the new saltmarsh. Credit: Steve Roberts Essex Wildlife Trust is actively coordinating with neighbouring sites, landowners and farmers as part of a wider partnership to ensure the coast functions as a connected system that contributes towards delivering the Essex Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS). Jez reflects that this shift toward collaboration led by partnerships, rather than individual organisations, is essential for scaling up work from isolated interventions to impactful, landscape-scale recovery that create more, bigger, better and joined up wildlife-rich places. **Blended finance can support long-term nature recovery** The Trust is weaving together public funding, private investment, habitat banking and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) units to support long-term restoration at Abbotts Hall. Our conversation explores how this “blended finance” approach enables the team to diversify income, reduce vulnerability to short-term funding cycles and ensure the reserve can be managed sustainably. Creating a registered habitat bank supplying BNG units forms a key part of this strategy. Importantly, Essex Wildlife Trust has taken a “nature first” approach: habitat choices are driven by ecological integrity rather than profitability, demonstrating how market mechanisms can be used responsibly when guided by evidence and nature’s needs. **Work with the grain of the landscape and seascape** One theme underpins everything happening at Abbotts Hall: let nature lead. The 2002 managed coastal realignment marked a pivotal moment. Instead of rebuilding coastal defences in the face of flood risk, the Trust sought to adapt to the natural forces and, guided by the expertise of the Environment Agency, embraced this profound change. The coast at Abbotts Hall is a natural transition from scrubland to intertidal saltmarshes. Credit: Zoe Gillard The decision to breach the sea wall shaped the journey of Abbotts Hall. In adapting in this way, Abbotts Hall’s influence on the landscape and seascape went well beyond its own boundaries. The changes made here still influence the tidal ebb and flow, waterfowl from around the Blackwater now seek out this new estuarine space to roost, and fish spawn here, repopulating the wider marine environment. Saltmarsh and mudflats continue to re-establish and evolve, while the Trust’s restoration plan inland uses the natural landform to create a rare natural, transition from saltmarsh to scrub mosaic, through species‑rich grassland to woodland. Grazing will become a central management tool here, continuing centuries of coastal grazing land management, essential in encouraging dynamism amongst the mosaic of habitats that make this stretch of coast so ecologically rich. **Recovering nature while respecting historic landscape character** Nature recovery doesn’t mean turning back the clock. It means allowing landscapes to evolve and function. In turn, this helps to address biodiversity loss, climate change and improve access to nature, while respecting the cultural and historic features that makes landscapes meaningful and provide a rooted sense of place. The freshwater lake at Abbotts Hall is a vital breeding, feeding and roosting habitat for waterbirds. Credit: Zoe Gillard As the podcast guides us though the site, we learn that visitors can ‘time travel’, walking through a thousand years of human occupation in a single morning, if they know where to look: red hills from ancient salt-making, pre-medieval field boundaries, historic driveways, even prehistoric flints have been uncovered in the marsh. Our conversations highlight how a strong understanding of place helps shape decisions about protecting and managing these historic landscape features while restoring natural transitions between habitats and preparing adaptations for profound changes to come. The new emerging landscape will retain its cultural roots but function more naturally as an ecological system, exemplifying Natural England’s Strategy commitment to recovery grounded in local context. **Creating new access for people** A 2.6 km section of the King Charles III England Coast Path will pass through the site, and that’s not all, as Essex Wildlife Trust are working on opening up Abbotts Hall. There will be 9 km of walking routes that will provide new access to a wilder and previously inaccessible landscape, enabling more people to enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits of time spent in nature. **From strategy to action** At Abbotts Hall, landscape-scale nature recovery, green finance, heritage, access, climate resilience and partnership come together in one place, demonstrating how Natural England’s strategy can work when applied with vision, collaboration and long‑term funding. It offers a glimpse of a future where nature is richer, wilder and more connected and where people and wildlife thrive together. That is the future the Strategy envisions. Abbotts Hall is a fantastic example of how we get there. And it shows why recovering nature is not only achievable but also necessary for our long-term growth health and security. Catch the full conversation on Natural England’s YouTube channel, along with more episodes of The Landscape Podcast, and look out for updates over on the Essex Wildlife Trust website.

_At Natural England we help balance economic growth with nature protection. Wildlife licensing is a vital tool to enable this. Our licences are broad ranging and allow development and other activities to proceed, while safeguarding protected species and their habitats. Every year Natural England has a duty to publish licensing data. This blog explores some of the key facts and figures from 2025 and what’s changed in the last 12 months._ By Mike Smith, Deputy Director, Wildlife Licensing and Reform What do bats, badgers and beavers all have in common? They are just some of the many species protected by wildlife law. Natural England makes wildlife protection work in practice – delivering nature recovery while facilitating essential development and enabling public interest activities. Wildlife licensing exists to regulate activities that would otherwise be unlawful - such as disturbing protected species or, in some cases, controlling wild birds. These activities are only permitted when the legal tests are met, when there is clear justification, and when impacts on wildlife are minimised. Natural England publishes licensing data each year as part of its responsibility to act transparently and to show how decisions support public safety, development needs and nature conservation. This year’s publication continues that commitment. **What’s changed since last year?** * **Licensing activity rose by 7%** , with **478 more licences issued than in 2024**. * **Strategic licences (including class licences) saw the largest increase (+236)** , reflecting continued growth. * **Species Management licences increased by 230** , driven by public health, air‑safety and damage‑prevention needs. * **Science & Conservation licences fell by 57 (−12%)** as research programmes concluded. * **EPS and Strategic licensing (including class licences) remained dominated by Imperative Reasons for Over-riding Public Interest (IROPI)** , including **82% of EPS bat licences** , **94% across all EPS species** , and **87% of bat class licences**. * In lethal bird control, purposes were stable: **34% for public health and safety** and **27% for preventing serious damage**. Water voles are just one of the many species protected by Natural England's licensing work Credit: Natural England **Why this matters for nature recovery** Transparency in licensing helps the public understand how decisions are made and how they contribute to wider environmental responsibilities. Natural England’s 2024 licensing blog emphasised the dual purpose of licensing: enabling development, infrastructure and public safety while safeguarding wildlife and supporting nature recovery. The 2025 data continue to reflect that balance - high volumes of licences issued for essential public‑interest purposes, underpinned by legal tests designed to protect species populations. Natural England’s Strategy - Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security - makes clear that effective, outcome‑focused regulation is vital for nature recovery. Regulation is central to securing resilience and reducing environmental risks and a key lever for turning government commitments into action. **Looking ahead: improving the licensing system** Natural England is modernising its licensing service to make it clearer, faster and more efficient, while supporting better outcomes for nature. Improvements reported in 2024 - such as streamlining processes, earned recognition, enhancing early advice services, and expanding strategic licences - are informing the next phase of reform. These reforms aim to ensure licensing remains a robust regulatory tool that supports national priorities, including nature recovery, environmental resilience and sustainable development.

**By Katherine Walsh – Senior Environmental Specialist for terrestrial mammals within the Chief Scientist Directorate at Natural England** * * * _England's red squirrel is one of our most beloved native species, yet it has quietly disappeared from most of the country over the past century. In this post, we explore the key findings of the England Red Squirrel Recovery Strategy - a landmark piece of work led by the Zoological Society of London on behalf of Natural England - which sets out the causes behind the species' dramatic decline and, crucially, what it will take to reverse it. From the impact of the invasive grey squirrel to the promise of emerging conservation tools, the strategy offers a clear assessment of the choices ahead and the real possibility of bringing red squirrels back to England's woodlands._ * * * **Background** The red squirrel (_Sciurus vulgaris_) was once a common sight in woodlands across Great Britain. However, the species has now been lost from most of its former range. It is thought that this range contraction may be as much as 95% and in England they are confined to the North of the country with extant populations on islands such as the Isle of Wight and Poole Harbour. The red squirrel is a protected but threatened species, listed as endangered on Britain's red list for terrestrial mammals (Mathews et al, 2020). The population estimate for England is 38,900 individuals (Mathews et al, 2018). Red squirrel feeding. Credit: Gary Bruce **Causes of Decline** There are several causes for the decline of the red squirrel. The introduction of the grey squirrel (_Sciurus carolinensis_) from the USA and Canada which began in 1876 and took place over several decades is a significant factor (Harris and Yalden, 2008). The grey squirrel outcompetes the red squirrel for food and habitat and spreads the squirrelpox virus to the red squirrels. This virus is fatal to the red squirrels but not the grey squirrel. Other factors for the decline include habitat loss and fragmentation, leading to small, isolated populations which may lack genetic fitness. **Recovery Strategy** Following pilot workshops in 2020 it was agreed that a structured decision-making approach could set out steps to recover the red squirrel in England. This process was led by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) who were commissioned by Natural England to produce the strategy with the support of the UK Squirrel Accord. A series of workshops and webinars were held with over 60 stakeholders to help determine the conditions under which recovery would be possible. A model was built to capture interactions which biologically and ecologically impact red squirrels that also factored in non-biological and social elements to their recovery. Red squirrel leaping. Credit: Gary Bruce **Recovery Strategy Outcomes** ZSL developed and evaluated 18 alternative recovery strategies, combining different approaches to grey squirrel management, red squirrel translocations, and emerging tools such as fertility control and a potential squirrelpox vaccine. These strategies were assessed at both regional and national scales to understand how different levels of ambition and coordination could shape future outcomes. Their analysis revealed that large-scale, coordinated suppression of grey squirrels across England offers the greatest potential for widespread red squirrel recovery, while also reducing the substantial ecological and economic damage caused by grey squirrel, estimated at around £37 million per annum in England and Wales. However, it’s the most expensive and has potential for the greatest welfare impacts. Encouragingly, more targeted regional strategies, particularly those combining localised grey squirrel management with red squirrel translocations, can achieve comparable outcomes for long-term persistence at a lower cost. These approaches may offer a more feasible pathway in the short term, especially where resources or public support are limited. In stark contrast, continuing with current levels of management is unlikely to be sufficient. Under a “do nothing” scenario, red squirrels are projected to disappear from mainland England within the next 25 years. The Red Squirrel Recovery Strategy report is now available on the Natural England Access to Evidence website. Red squirrel on a branch. Credit: Gary Bruce **Conclusion** Recovery of red squirrels in England remains within reach, but only through coordinated national action that carefully balances ecological effectiveness, economic costs, animal welfare, and public acceptance. By clarifying these trade-offs, this work provides a practical and evidence-based approach towards restoring one of England’s most iconic native species.