Energy & Environment

Dartmoor Land Use Management Group: next steps

In October, we appointed the Independent Chair for the Dartmoor Land Use Management Group (DLUMG), Phil Stocker. In this guest post, Phil shares insights into his role, the published terms of reference, and next steps for the group. Update: 28 January 2025: At the bottom of this post, you'll find details of the membership of the group.

Updated: Mon Feb 17 2025

Harnessing Nature-based Solutions to help combat flooding

As climate change brings more frequent and severe flooding, innovative solutions are emerging to tackle these challenges. Working with nature, not against it, Natural England is proposing schemes to help tackle flooding in Norfolk and Suffolk. Projects in our region ...

Updated: Mon Feb 17 2025

Inaccurate reporting on foot and mouth disease controls

There has been inaccurate media coverage regarding foot and mouth disease (FMD) controls with reports that it took six or seven days for controls on commercial imports to take effect and "allowed disease to enter the country."

Updated: Thu Feb 13 2025

Coastal Planner Corner

The MMO has marine planners based around the English coast. Their role is to engage with you for the development, implementation, and monitoring of marine plans. You can find out who your local coastal planner is and their contact details ...

Updated: Tue Feb 11 2025

Local Nature Recovery Strategies: have your say

Farmers, growers and land managers play a vital role in tackling climate change, biodiversity loss and food security. Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) will help focus these efforts by setting out where and how to take action for nature. With 48 strategies covering the whole of England, there's still time to shape your local plan. In this post, we'll give an overview and explain how to get involved.

Updated: Mon Feb 10 2025

Helping nature to recover and thrive in the Wye Valley in Derbyshire

Ruth Keeley, Wye Valley Nature Recovery Project Senior Officer Back in 2022, Natural England and Defra announced five unique Nature Recovery Projects (NRP) across the Peak District, West Midlands, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Somerset. Since then, a further seven projects have ...

Updated: Fri Feb 07 2025

Update on Environment Agency investigation

Work continues on our largest ever criminal investigation, to date, into potential breaches of environmental permit conditions by all water and sewerage companies discharging into English waters. The extent of potential non-compliance involves more than 2,200 wastewater treatment works. To ...

Updated: Fri Feb 07 2025

Severn Estuary Implementation Session: Advancing Cross-Border Marine Planning

In November 2024, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Welsh Government co-hosted an event in Cardiff to support cross-border marine planning in the Severn Estuary. This stakeholder engagement session, following the publication of our Severn Estuary Cross Border Marine Planning ...

Updated: Thu Feb 06 2025

Highlight of the Marine Plan User Training Sessions

Under Section 58 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009, all public authorities making decisions that affect, or might affect, the UK marine area must consider the relevant marine plan. In response to this, between 12 November and 12 ...

Updated: Wed Feb 05 2025

Three churrs for the heathland bird survey

By Alison Giacomelli, Senior Specialist - Ornithology, Natural England Heathlands are home to the eerie sound of churring Nightjars, sweet melody of singing Woodlarks and the rattling song of Dartford Warblers. This year teams of volunteers and fieldworkers will be ...

Updated: Wed Feb 05 2025

Green Infrastructure: the catalyst for Urban Greening

It's two years since Natural England launched the Green Infrastructure (GI) Framework to support the creation of good quality Green Infrastructure. It's well documented that we need to build a more sustainable future, and at the forefront of this movement ...

Updated: Mon Feb 03 2025

'LUF-t off' for a more strategic approach to growth and Nature

By Tony Juniper CBE, Chair of Natural England As the country seeks long-term solutions to our most pressing problems - how to build much-needed homes and infrastructure, safeguard food production and halt and reverse the decline of Nature - we ...

Updated: Fri Jan 31 2025

Is your woodland a home for hedgehogs?

Alan Reid is our Nature Recovery Advisor in the West Midlands. Here he explores why woodlands are such excellent habitats for these enigmatic creatures, and how woodland owners and managers might help them.

Updated: Fri Jan 31 2025

Best Practice: working together for success

Strengthening Coastal Planning: Our Engagement with Local Planning Authorities in the South West Effective planning at the interface of marine and terrestrial environments requires collaboration and clear communication between decision-makers. The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) works with local planning teams ...

Updated: Thu Jan 30 2025

Building Capacity for Sustainable Fisheries: OCPP's Training Mission in Madagascar

Author: Amy Anderson (MMO) In October, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO)'s Global Marine Team undertook a deployment to Madagascar under the Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP). The Ocean Country Partnership Programme is a bilateral technical assistance and capacity building programme ...

Updated: Wed Jan 29 2025