Natural England

The current Defra consultation on heather burning is beginning to fall apart under the weight of its own failings – and it’s critical that we act now to make our voices heard.

We're looking to build a network of individuals who are willing to spend just 10 minutes a week submitting simple, well-crafted FOI requests.

Over the last five years, Natural England's budget has ballooned by 73%, now standing at an eye-watering £318 million. Staff numbers have surged too, with around 3,000 people now on the payroll.

Time is running out to respond to Defra’s consultation on heather and grass burning. The deadline is 25th May, and it’s vital that those who understand the uplands - the people who live, work, and manage this land - make their voices heard.

Natural England’s recent evidence review on heather burning was presented as a definitive scientific update. Instead, it stands as a case study in how selective methodology, excluded expertise, and misrepresented findings can produce a flawed and unbalanced document.

The Moorland Association has prepared its draft response to Defra’s consultation on Heather and Grass Burning in England. While our first and strongest recommendation is that this consultation be paused, we’ve also made sure to respond in full should the Government press ahead.

Read our advice on how to complete Defra's Heather Burning consultation.

Natural England’s new document 'Definition of Favourable Conservation Status for Blanket Bog' should be withdrawn and rewritten.

This blog post examines the decline of breeding waders within the Berwyn Special Protection Area (SPA) in North Wales, exploring the potential reasons behind it and, most importantly, what lessons we can learn for the future of our precious upland birds.

We recently asked our members to complete a short survey about Defra’s proposed changes to rules around heather burning. Here is a summary of the results.

Defra must be congratulated on its commitment to protecting our uplands, yet its actions are resulting in them going up in flames.

Since we are experiencing our worst year for wildfires and scientists are predicting climate change to increase these fourfold it’s astonishing that government policy is making the situation even worse, through rapidly increasing the vegetation fuel load.

With hen harriers beginning to settle on our moors again we must update you on Natural England’s recent decision regarding our application for a hen harrier conservation licence.

We recently sent a letter to the Deputy Prime Minister, who is now responsible for handling the urgent threat of wildfire, highlighting how Government policies are exacerbating the problem.

Have you ever wondered what effect poor government policy can have on rural landscapes? Look no further.

Six months after applying for a licence, we are still waiting to hear if Natural England is interested in continuing the successful trial.

This blog provides guidance on when you can act without prior authorisation from Natural England.

The growing of risk of catastrophic wildfires has led to fire chiefs demanding that the Government gets to grip with the risk.

A recently commissioned report by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) for Natural England looked into this puzzle.

A Natural England-led evaluation of the hen harrier brood management trial has concluded that it is has led to more hen harriers successfull