English Nature
English Nature is the
United Kingdom government agency that promotes the
conservation of
wildlife,
geology and wild places throughout
England. It is a
non-departmental public body funded by the
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and gives statutory advice, grants and licences.
The
Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) (formerly the Nature Conservancy) was established to cover
nature conservation issues across the whole of
Great Britain in
1948 by an
Act of Parliament, the
National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1948. The NCC was split into four by the
Environmental Protection Act 1990, its
English duties being given to English Nature. In
Scotland, its functions were merged with those of the
Countryside Commission to form
Scottish Natural Heritage, and similarly in
Wales there was a merger to form the
Countryside Council for Wales. An overarching, but much smaller body the
Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) oversees all three agencies. The English functions of the Countryside Commission went to the newly-formed
Countryside Agency.
English Nature is governed by a council and employs about 900 people.
It works closely with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the equivalent bodies for
Scotland (
Scottish Natural Heritage),
Wales (
Countryside Council for Wales) and
Northern Ireland (
Environment and Heritage Service) to bring a consistent approach to
nature conservation throughout the
UK and towards fulfilling its international obligations.
Following a review by
Lord Haskins, enacted in the
Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 in March 2006, English Nature will be integrated with parts of both the
Rural Development Service and the
Countryside Agency from
1 October 2006, to form a new body called
Natural England.
English Nature manages a number of
National nature reserves.
*
English Nature website*
Nature Reserves*
Natural Environment and Rural Communities 2006 from
DEFRA
