Wildlife Management and Licensing
Certain species of animals and plants found in the wild in the UK are legally protected from being harmed or disturbed by a range of legislation. It is possible to get licences for certain activities that would otherwise be illegal and receive a range of advice on licensing and wildlife management from Natural England.
Searching for advice and licences has just got easier. You can now search for advice, licences and forms by individual species.
On this page:
Latest news
(21 May 2013) Bat class survey licences WML-CL19: (216kb)
and WML-CL20: (215kb) have been amended to include a link to the newly published bat guidance on ‘capture and marking of bats.’ If you are registered to use either or both of these licences please ensure that you read them and the newly published guidance note WML-G39 (see 16 May 2013 below).
(16 May 2013) Natural England has published new guidance: (180kb) on the capture and marking of bats. It has been written with Professor John Altringham and Dr Anita Glover from Leeds University. Anyone wishing to capture and mark bats may only do so under a licence and this guidance is essential reading.
(29 April 2013) We have simplified the GCN licensing process in a move designed to see more GCN applications receiving a licence on the 1st submission. Please read our FAQs: (90kb)
which explain the annexed licence process, what it involves and see the application page for the new and revised templates. Also see the latest EPS Newsletter Announcement which explains this in more detail.
Customer service standards
We are committed to providing a high quality service.
- Customer service regulation
- Our guidance on best practice: (145kb)
which is part of the Government’s commitment to the Code of Practice on Guidance on Regulation
. - Our performance statistics are published at six monthly intervals.
Further information
- What we do not cover
- Frequently asked questions: (558kb)
- How to report suspected wildlife or pet poisoning
- Wildlife licensing myths
- Seasonal tips
- Wildlife Management and Licensing - Balancing the needs of people and wildlife
- Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
- The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010.
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Bowland Fells: Lesser black backed gulls
(24 May 2013) The population of lesser black-backed gulls at Bowland – which is a nationally important one - has declined in recent years. We are currently concerned at its low status.
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Myth buster: Full details of buzzard nest control licence
(23 May 2013) The recovery of the common buzzard population in England is a fantastic conservation success story and we should celebrate the fact that they can regularly be seen soaring above the countryside in most areas of the country.
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Badger control update: Public opportunity to comment opens for Dorset reserve pilot area
(22 May 2013) In February, Natural England confirmed that all criteria had been met to allow badger control to take place during the open season* in the pilot areas of west Somerset and west Gloucestershire, for the purpose of preventing the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB).
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New bat trapping guidance published
(17 May 2013) New guidance for bat surveyors and researchers on the use of capture and marking techniques, permissible under the authority of an appropriate licence, has been published by Natural England today.
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"An-nex" step towards better regulation
(30 April 2013) As part of Natural England’s ongoing commitment to improving our current regulation system, the great crested newt (GCN) licensing process has been simplified, in a move designed to see more newt licence applications receiving a licence on first submission of the application.
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(25 March 2013) A research project designed to address the difficult challenge of striking a balance between the long-term preservation of important bat colonies and the needs of the congregation of St Hilda’s Church in Ellerburn is set to begin this month.
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(1 February 2013) Licensed bat surveyors will no longer be driven batty by paperwork, as Natural England unveils a new series of licences designed to reduce administrative burdens.
