Consultation on Natural England’s General Licences issued under wildlife legislation
Natural England is consulting on a comprehensive review of the General Licences issued under section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
See the Natural England press release
. General licences enable people to carry out activities affecting protected species that would otherwise be unlawful, but which are justified in certain circumstances, without the need to apply for a personal licence.
The aim of the review is to ensure that the licences deliver appropriate levels of protection for native species without imposing unnecessary controls on people's activities. It also provides the opportunity to address non-native species issues, which were the subject of a GB wide strategy launched in May 2008.
The deadline for responses to the consultation is 13 March 2009. This consultation does not affect the re-issue of the existing series of general licences on 1 January 2009. Although there are no plans to significantly amend the existing licences when they are re-issued, anyone intending to carry out activities that are dependent on a general licence is strongly advised to read the new licences before undertaking that activity.
Consultation document: (127kb)
Q&A, answering frequently asked questions: (25kb)
Annex A: List of Consultees: (24kb)
Annex B: Consultation Response Form including consultation feedback form: (142kb)
– we recommend that you download this to your computer, complete on-screen and return by email.
Annex C: Excerpt from Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (sections 28G and H): (13kb)
Annex D: Draft general licences permitting the sales of dead birds: (46kb)
Annex D: Draft general licences permitting the sales of captive-bred live birds: (58kb)
Further information
Full list of general licences issued by Natural England.
