Today Natural England’s Strategy: Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security has been launched. This ambitious Strategy explains the role Natural England will play in realising the government’s commitment to nature, growth, health, and security, including those in the EIP (Environmental Improvement Plan) – the revised version is yet to be published.
As expected from Natural England’s Strategic Direction and Action Plan, the Strategy signals a big change in how and where Natural England focuses its efforts.
Read Natural England’s strategic direction 2025-2030 | GOV.UK and Natural England Action Plan 2025 to 2026 | GOV.UK for more information.
There will be reforms in Natural England’s advisory and regulatory functions with a strong emphasis on working with a wide range of partners to deliver strategic recovery of nature at a landscape scale. Naturally, the Strategy echoes many of the ambitions outlined in the Strategic Direction and Action Plan.
While the strategy aims to work with landowners and recognises how nature can support more resilient food production, changes in how Natural England operates will have implications for farming businesses. The NFU is concerned that the Strategy only lightly touches on the important role farming plays in supporting nature recovery and how many of the Strategy’s ambitions could be detrimental to farming.
Farmers must be represented and supported
The NFU will continue to engage with Natural England as it implements the ambitions in the Strategy to ensure that farmers are represented and supported.
It is unclear exactly how these ambitions will be funded and delivered alongside food production; the NFU awaits the publication of a revised Environmental Improvement Plan, the Land Use Framework, and the 25-year Farming Roadmap.
The Strategy confirms the statutory environmental and climate commitments that Natural England is working towards; the Environmental Improvement Plan, Net Zero by 2050 and the legally binding target to halt species decline by 2030.
The Strategy is framed on four strategic outcomes, maximising these outcomes, and the foundations of success, which will be embedded into Natural England’s changing approach. The key points relating to farming practices and the wider farmed landscape are summarised below.
Natural England’s approach aims to support alignment across policies and actions, empower local decision-making, streamline regulation and drive investment in nature. To achieve this successfully, Natural England will embed this approach into its people and organisation, work in partnership and use science, data, and technology.
Four strategic outcomes
Outcome 1 – Recovering nature
An ambition to increase the scale and quality of places where nature thrives. This aims to focus on reversing the root causes of nature’s decline in protected areas and wider landscapes.
Natural England will:
- Work closely with National Parks and National Landscapes to find clear pathways to nature recovery.
- Grow the National Nature Reserve network and designate a super National Nature Reserve.
- Operate strategic schemes such as Landscape Recovery.
- Target Protected Site Strategies and Integrated Farm Advice.
- Fund species recovery projects for threatened species.
Outcome 2 – Building better places
An ambition to create green homes and infrastructure. This aims to reduce bureaucracy and streamline regulations, while ensuring that developments, regulators, businesses, investors, and the government integrate and value nature.
Natural England will:
- Increase the offer and uptake of tools like Environmental Delivery Plans.
- Ensure the Local Nature Recovery Strategy directs investment into nature.
- Provide advice to local decision-makers to embed nature into spatial planning and strategies.
- Facilitate more self-service regulations for developments through advice, training, and a compliance framework.
Outcome 3 – Improving health and wellbeing
An ambition to build nature into everyday life. This aims to make nature more accessible to help improve people’s health, wellbeing, and connections with nature.
Natural England will:
- Increase access for all with National Trails (including the King Charles III England Coastal Path).
- Utilise statutory and advisory work to enhance access and engagement with nature.
Outcome 4 - Delivery security through nature
An ambition to adapt to the threat of climate change and improve national security, supporting more resilient food production, healthy soils, clean and plentiful water, and clean air. This aims to embed nature into plans and polices, support “nature friendly farming” while providing wider societal benefits and securing public and private funding.
Natural England will:
- Help create a steady flow of projects for government-approached nature markets.
- Provide tailored farm advice and agri-environment funding.
- Expand the use of nature-based solutions.
- Set standards and develop frameworks for green investments.
