Natural England

1 October 2007

Natural England, created to act as England’s champion for the natural environment, is one year old today, 1 October.

Natural England was set up with a broad environmental remit, with the responsibility to enhance biodiversity, landscape and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas; promote access, recreation and public well-being, and contribute to the way natural resources are managed so that they can be enjoyed now and by future generations.

In our first year, we have worked across the breadth of our remit to deliver real benefits to the people, places and the natural environment of England.

Throughout October, we will demonstrate our innovative and integrated approach to tackling the major environmental issues, culminating in our First Anniversary event in London on 29 October. At this event, we will announce a major new policy position on ‘House building and green infrastructure’.

Natural England works to deliver four strategic outcomes:

Outcome 1 – Conserve our natural environment on land and in the sea:

What have we achieved so far?

• We have worked closely with Defra to put in place a greatly expanded list of Biodiversity Action Plan priority species to conserve those habitats most at threat, winning a commitment to include England’s iconic traditional orchards on the list.
• We are working with partners to develop sustainable fishery management measures to safeguard the wild shellfish beds of the Wash, which provide vital food for oystercatchers, knot and eider.
• We initiated programmes to create or restore 32,400 hectares of BAP priority habitat.

What we are doing next?

• We will urge government to now bring forward a Marine Bill to deliver a coherent network of Marine Protected Areas providing much-needed better protection for our marine environment for the benefit of wildlife and the communities whose livelihoods depend upon it.
• We will continue to make the case for the reintroduction of the White Tailed Eagle, a magnificent bird of prey with a wing-span of 2 metres driven to extinction in England.
• We will continue to make the case for the confirmation of the designation of the original South Downs National Park boundary, the 12th and final National Park on Hobhouse’s initial list.

How are we marking this theme for our first anniversary?

• 2 October - we are hosting an international conference of marine conservation experts to share ideas and opinions on how best to save the life beneath our seas.
• Exclusive new footage and photography of sea life around Lundy, filmed by Doug Anderson of the BBC Planet Earth series, will also be shown at the conference and is available on request from Natural England’s press office.
• To be confirmed in October - Release latest hen harrier breeding figures from the Hen Harrier Recovery project.

Outcome 2 - More people enjoying, understanding and acting to improve the natural environment, more often:

What have we achieved so far?

• We advised the Government on how to improve access to the English coastline, advice which last week was endorsed by Secretary of State Hilary Benn together with a commitment to legislate to turn our vision into reality.
• Working closely with stakeholders, we developed a clear vision for a coastal access corridor to secure better environmental management of our coastline, as well as opportunities for the public to explore, enjoy and better understand our unique coastal wildlife and landscapes.
• We have expanded our Walk the Way to Health Initiative to 450 health walk groups across the country, helping to improve people’s health while they enjoy the wonders of the natural environment.

What we are doing next?

• We are forging a new partnership with the Department of Health, Primary Care Trusts and Local Authorities to promote the preventative health benefits of the natural environment to health professionals.
• With the BBC, we are working to bring the wonders of England’s wildlife to people from all backgrounds, an exciting new scheme to be announced in the coming weeks.

How are we marking this theme for our first anniversary?

• 7 October – Launch of a major new community funding programme bringing people from all backgrounds into contact with nature.
• 10 October – Launch of joint scheme with the BBC to tie in with screening of the BBC’s Nature of Britain.
• 12 October – Launch of a new pilot health initiative in partnership with government.

Outcome 3 - Sustainable use of England’s natural environment:

What have we achieved so far?

• We have worked closely with Defra to secure a £2.9billion worth of funding for England’s farmed environment, through the Rural Development Programme for England.
• Over half of all the farmland in England is now managed for the benefit of the environment through one of Natural England’s green farming schemes.
• We declared five new National Nature Reserves and extended 17 others, increasing the area covered by 3,205 hectares.
• We have improved our service delivery and halved the turnaround times for processing valid Environmental Stewardship applications. In our first year, farmers have entered over 2 million new hectares of farmland into our Environmental Stewardship schemes.
• In our first quarter, 30,000 Countryside Stewardship Scheme and Environmentally Sensitive Area agreements, worth £140 million, were paid one month ahead of our deadline.
• Over 75% of Sites of Special Scientific Interest are now in favourable condition.

What we are doing next?

• We will continue to work closely with Defra to secure a favourable environmental outcome to the CAP Health Check.
• We will continue to encourage farmers to enter their land into our Environmental Stewardship schemes and work to ensure that funding for these schemes is targeted to areas where it will make the most difference to the natural environment.

How are we marking this theme for our first anniversary?

• In the coming weeks we will put details of all farmland in our green farming schemes onto our website showing the public where their money is spent and increasing understanding the crucial role farmers play in conserving the land we love.
• 29 October - At our First Anniversary event will announce a major new policy position on ‘House building and green infrastructure’.
• 15 November - We will celebrate the best of English farming through our ‘Future of Farming’ awards, recognising innovation and excellence in the sector at an awards ceremony.

Outcome 4 - A secure environmental future:

What have we achieved so far?

• We have successfully made the case for an action plan to be included in the Climate Change Bill that would create a cross-government framework for our natural environment to adapt to climate change.
• We lead the MONARCH programme together with partners which studied the projected impact of a changing climate on 120 rare or threatened species, such as the Barbastelle bat, the stag beetle and the cornflower, which may need to move location if they are to find the right climate change conditions to survive.
• In partnership, we have worked to improve the condition of upland peatlands, which not only provide unique wildlife habitats, but also store around 400, 000 tonnes of carbon, mitigating the impacts of climate change.

What we are doing next?

• We will work with Defra to develop an innovative climate change adaptation plan, helping to prepare people and wildlife alike for 50 years of unavoidable climate change.
• Continue working on the Moors for the Future partnership taking action in the Peak District National Park to enhance the condition of uplands.
• Establish four pilot projects to assess the impact of climate change on different types of landscape and to develop action plans to increase the capacity of the natural environment to adapt.

How are we marking this theme for our first anniversary?

• Week beginning 14 October – Later this month, we will submit evidence to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee on how the natural environment can help deliver flood risk management, an increasing problem in a changing climate.