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  1. Home
  2. Environmental management
Environmental management

Wildlife and habitat conservation: detailed information

From:
Natural England, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Environment Agency, Closed organisation: Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Animal and Plant Health Agency
+ 18 more
Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Closed organisation: Department for International Development, Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Marine Management Organisation, Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Northern Ireland), Highways England, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Ministry of Defence, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (Northern Ireland), Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Forestry England, Forestry Commission, Health and Safety Executive, Natural Resources Wales, and Welsh Government

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Report incidents

  • Report an environmental incident
  • Understand marine wildlife licences and report an incident
  • Wildlife crime and how to report it
  • Report a dead or injured animal
  • Report a stranded whale or dolphin

Birds

  • Bird licences
  • Geese: control populations of problem birds under licence
  • Hen harriers: tracking programme update
  • Wild birds: prevent damage to your land, farm, fishery or business
  • Wild birds: protection and licences
  • Wild birds: remove them from food premises using nets or traps
  • Wild birds: surveys and mitigation for development projects

Fish and shellfish

  • Freshwater and migratory fish licences
  • Freshwater and migratory fish: surveys and mitigation for development projects
  • Licence for an individual to protect their fishery from fish-eating birds (A06 and A07)
  • Permission to trap crayfish, eels, elvers, salmon and sea trout
  • Controls of fish and shellfish diseases in England and Wales
  • Return tagged fish and shellfish

Invertebrates

  • Freshwater pearl mussel: surveys and mitigation for development projects
  • Guidance on habitat for white-clawed crayfish
  • Invertebrate licences: European protected species
  • Invertebrates: surveys and mitigation for development projects
  • Invertebrates: surveys and mitigation for development projects
  • Permission to trap crayfish, eels, elvers, salmon and sea trout
  • White-clawed crayfish licences
  • White-clawed crayfish: surveys and mitigation for development projects

Mammals

  • Badgers: protection and licences
  • Badgers: surveys and mitigation for development projects
  • Bat licences
  • Bat roosts: use of chemical pest control products and timber treatments in or near them
  • Bats: protection and licences
  • Bats: surveys and mitigation for development projects
  • Deer: how to protect your property from damage
  • Deer licences
  • Dormice licences
  • Hazel dormice: protection and licences
  • Hazel or common dormice: surveys and mitigation for development projects
  • Mammals: licence to kill, take or disturb for health and safety (A05 and LR05)
  • Mink, coypu and muskrat: apply for a licence to keep them (A04 and LR04)
  • Otter licences
  • Otters: surveys and mitigation for development projects
  • Rabbits: how to control numbers
  • Seals: licence to kill or take them in rivers (A17 and LR17)
  • Water vole licences
  • Water voles: surveys and mitigation for development projects

Reptiles and amphibians

  • Great crested newt licences
  • Great crested newts: protection and licences
  • Great crested newts: advice for local planning authorities
  • Natterjack toad licences
  • Natterjack toads: surveys and mitigation for development projects
  • Reptile licences
  • Reptiles: surveys and mitigation for development projects

Other wildlife licensing

  • Class licences for wildlife management
  • European protected species: apply for a licence to possess them (A37 and LR37)
  • European protected species: apply for a mitigation licence (A12)
  • General licences for wildlife management
  • Keeping wild birds or animals
  • Managing wildlife on your land
  • Non-native (alien) species: apply for a licence to release them (A03 and LR03)
  • Protected species licences: register to apply for and manage licences online
  • Protected species: when to apply for a licence to survey, film or photograph them
  • Protected species licence for science, education or conservation (A29)
  • Wildlife licences: when you need to apply

Plants

  • Application to use herbicides in or near water
  • Stop invasive non-native plants from spreading
  • Plant licences
  • Plants: surveys and mitigation for development projects
  • Prevent Japanese knotweed from spreading
  • Wild plants: sell them legally

Habitat conservation

  • Find protected areas of countryside
  • Hoveton Wetlands restoration project
  • Humberhead Peatlands restoration LIFE+ project
  • Improvement programme for England’s Natura 2000 sites (IPENS)
  • Local nature reserves: setting up and management
  • Marches Mosses BogLIFE project
  • Nature Improvement Areas: improved ecological networks
  • River habitat survey guidance manual
  • Special Nature Conservation Orders: consent and 'stop notices'
  • Visit national parks, nature reserves and green spaces

Volunteering

  • Become a volunteer bat roost visitor
  • Volunteering with Natural England: how to get involved
  • Volunteering with Natural England: support directory

Other

  • Biodiversity duty: public authority duty to have regard to conserving biodiversity
  • Darwin Initiative: funding schemes and how to apply
  • Enforcement laws: advice on protecting the natural environment in England
  • How external funding is helping Natural England's work
  • Hunting and shooting wildlife
  • Licence to sell protected plants and animals (A38 and LR38)
  • Manage and protect woodland wildlife
  • Marine species & wildlife: protection

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