Natural England - History

History

Natural England was established on 1 October 2006 by the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, which implemented the recommendations of a rural review by Christopher Haskins, Baron Haskins of Skidby. It was formed by the amalgamation of three founder bodies:

• Countryside Agency, the landscape, access and recreation elements
• English Nature
• Rural Development Service, the environmental land management functions of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

It received the powers of the founder bodies, including awarding grants, designating Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Sites of Special Scientific Interest, managing certain National Nature Reserves, overseeing access to open country and other recreation rights, and enforcing the associated regulations. It is also responsible for the administration of numerous grant schemes and frameworks that finance the development and conservation of the natural environment, for example Environmental Stewardship, Countryside Stewardship, Environmentally Sensitive Areas, and Access to Nature.

Natural England joined the 10:10 project in 2009 in a bid to reduce its carbon footprint. One year later they announced that they had reduced their carbon emissions (according to 10:10's criteria) by 13%.

In 2008, Sir Martin Doughty, the chairman of Natural England warned the UK Prime Minister of the potential danger of GM crops. However in 2012 Poul Christensen CBE, the next chairman of Natural England, said that middle England should embrace new technologies like GM crops as long as there were adequate testing and safeguards.

In 2011 Natural England published their Corporate Plan 2011-2015 which described the goals and detailed objectives of the organisation over the next four years.