Natural England homepage

About us

What we do

We're the government’s adviser on the natural environment, providing practical scientific advice on how to look after England's landscapes and wildlife.

Who we are

We have 2,000 staff in offices throughout England, with our headquarters in Sheffield. See a map of our offices.

Responsibilities

Within England we’re responsible for:

  • helping land managers and farmers protect wildlife and landscapes
  • advising on the protection of the marine environment in inshore waters (0 to 12 nautical miles)
  • improving public access to the coastline
  • supporting National Trails and managing 140 National Nature Reserves
  • providing planning advice and wildlife licences through the planning system
  • managing programmes that help restore or recreate wildlife habitats
  • providing evidence to help make decisions affecting the natural environment

Priorities

From 2014 to 2019, our priorities are:

  • terrestrial biodiversity
  • marine biodiversity
  • landscape and geodiversity
  • access and engagement
  • environmental land management
  • National Nature Reserves
  • support to the planning system
  • wildlife management
  • evidence

For more details about our responsibilities and priorities see our Corporate Plan 2014 to 2019.

Corporate information

Access our information

Jobs and contracts

Read about the types of information we routinely publish in our Publication scheme. Our Personal information charter explains how we treat your personal information. Read our policy on Social media use. Find out About our services.

Corporate reports