Natural England - Our remit and priorities

Our remit and priorities

Our remit is set out in the legislation which established us as the government body which champions England’s natural environment.

Our remit

"To ensure that the natural environment is conserved, enhanced and managed for the benefit of present and future generations, thereby contributing to sustainable development." (Natural Environment & Rural Communities Act 2006)

Our role is to support the Government’s wider strategic policies and fulfil the aims and objectives set for us by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Natural England is the lead agency for the new England Biodiversity Strategy and for implementing the European Landscape Convention. We are also responsible for some international obligations that fall on the UK and the Secretary of State on the conservation of species and the condition of designated sites. We are the organisation that delivers agri‐environment schemes as part of the Rural Development Programme for England on behalf of the Secretary of State.

Our priorities

Our priorities flow from the global plan for biodiversity agreed at Nagoya, the ‘Making Space for Nature’ Report and the ambitions we expect to be set out in the Natural Environment White Paper and the England Biodiversity Strategy. Our priorities are to:

  • reconnect people with nature;
  • protect natural assets; and
  • maximise the opportunities offered by a greener economy.

We will deliver these priorities through four key themes which reflect the new delivery landscape, our role and how we will work in future:

  • Delivering with communities – we will focus on delivering landscape, habitats and species priorities, and realising social and economic benefits from the environment, with and through local communities and partnerships. We will use the ecosystem approach to engage communities, business, and local organisations to help identify local opportunities and priorities alongside national priorities for particular places. We will work on land use with Local Authorities and mainly business/developers and on land management with farmers and other land-based businesses, working together to deliver clear, integrated outcomes.

  • Customers – we will continue to improve the way we work with customers and partners and the service we provide – in particular the handling of the applications and payments for the incentive schemes we administer. We will also build broad partnerships at local and sub-national level to realise benefits and secure additional contributions to the natural environment. We will explore and improve our understanding of our key stakeholders’ needs and the contribution the environment can make to them, aligning our resources and our services with theirs to deliver more and better outcomes.

  • Science and Evidence – we will collaborate with others and share all of our knowledge of the natural environment to widen and deepen understanding more widely across society about current priorities and future challenges. We will embed out knowledge and evidence to enable good local decision-making and adaptive management through further learning and innovation.

  • Capability – we will continue to develop as a modern and effective public body and ensure the people we have, and the skills and processes they use, maximise the benefits for the natural environment and enable effective engagement with, and empowerment of, local partnerships.

Corporate plan

Our Corporate plan 2011-2015external link sets out:

  • the strategic context within which Natural England is now working;
  • the new local delivery landscape;
  • our role and ways of working; and
  • what we will deliver next year in support of our outcomes.

Related articles