13 Feb 2024

English seabird populations are in decline. Breeding populations have declined by at least 20-30% since the early 1990s and without intervention these internationally important seabird populations will continue to decline. The same can be said across the UK: the latest figures from the Seabirds Count (2015-2021)  shows almost 62% of seabird species in decline across the UK […]

13 Feb 2024

The Seabed User & Developer Group (SUDG), an informal grouping of the UK’s key marine industries, have called on the UK government to put in place a moratorium on the biodiversity metric for intertidal habitats. Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is a policy set out in the Environment Act 2021 and on 12 February 2024 it […]

25 Jul 2023

Six new landscape-scale nature recovery projects are launched by Natural England and the UK Government. The multi-partnership collaborative projects covering 176,000 hectares of land across England – from the Tees Estuary to the South Downs – will create improved and better-connected habitats for wildlife and improve public access to nature. The projects will strengthen the […]

31 May 2023

The River Wye’s health status has been downgraded by Natural England, as wildlife charities accuse the government of failing to stop farming pollution harming the waterway. The government nature watchdog has updated the status of the river from “unfavourable-improving” to “unfavourable-declining”, meaning its condition is poor – and worsening. The assessment shows the river, which […]

05 Apr 2023

The future of the Calstock wetlands is assured for the next 20 years as Natural England has granted a Countryside Stewardship to the Tamar Community Trust (TCT). The move comes as a scheme led by the Environment Agency to reconnect the River Tamar with its original floodplain at Calstock has finished and the land leased, […]

05 Apr 2023

By Mike Burke, Programme Director – Sustainable Development 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. We know that nature is fundamental […]

01 Feb 2023

The government has published its long-awaited “five-year delivery plan to restore nature and improve the environmental quality of the air, our waters and our land”. Key aspects include Every household to be be within a 15-minute walk of a green space or water. A commitment to restore at least 500,000 hectares (1.2m acres) of wildlife habitat, […]

01 Feb 2023

Natural England has published the National Green Infrastructure Framework, a commitment in the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan. It is designed to help local planning authorities and developers in England meet requirements in the National Planning Policy Framework to consider green infrastructure in local plans and in new developments. The Green Infrastructure Framework comprises: Green […]