Tag
Where Solar Panels Meet Singing Birds: The Solar Farm Rewriting the Rules
Natural England Chair Tony Juniper visited a solar farm in Essex, where he observed how clean energy generation and nature recovery can successfully coexist, with the site achieving an 80% biodiversity net gain alongside producing electricity for thousands of homes. The article argues that the assumption clean energy infrastructure must come at the expense of nature is a false choice, highlighting how good design, early environmental planning, and measures such as wildflower meadows and hedgerow enhancements can deliver strong ecological outcomes. Natural England encourages developers to engage with them from the earliest stages of project design to maximise benefits for both nature and the UK's clean power goals.
The Giants Are Coming Back: White-Tailed Eagles Are Returning to Exmoor
Natural England has issued a licence allowing the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England to release up to 20 white-tailed eagles in Exmoor National Park over three years, building on the successful Isle of Wight reintroduction project. The licence followed a thorough evidence-based assessment that considered ecological impacts, biosecurity, and socio-economic concerns, including fears from farmers about livestock predation — fears which six years of Isle of Wight monitoring data have not supported. Key safeguards including GPS tracking, farming sector representation on a steering group, and long-term monitoring commitments are built into the licence conditions.