English Nature was the
United Kingdom government agency that promoted the
conservation
Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws.
Conservation may also refer to:
Environment and natural resources
* Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...
of
wildlife
Wildlife refers to undomesticated animal species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous to game: those birds and mammals that were hunted ...
,
geology
Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other Astronomical object, astronomical objects, the features or rock (geology), rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology ...
and wild places throughout England between 1990 and 2006. It was a
non-departmental public body
In the United Kingdom, non-departmental public body (NDPB) is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, Treasury, the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to public sector organisations that have a role in the process o ...
funded by the
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United K ...
(DEFRA) and gave statutory advice, grants and issued licences.
The
Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) (formerly the Nature Conservancy) was established by the
National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 to cover
nature conservation
Nature conservation is the moral philosophy and conservation movement focused on protecting species from extinction, maintaining and restoring habitats, enhancing ecosystem services, and protecting biological diversity. A range of values unde ...
issues across the whole of
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...
. The NCC was split into four by the
Environmental Protection Act 1990—its English duties being given to English Nature. In Scotland, its functions were merged with those of the
Countryside Commission for Scotland to form
Scottish Natural Heritage, and similarly in Wales there was a merger to form the
Countryside Council for Wales. A much smaller body, the
Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), supported all three agencies. The English functions of the
Countryside Commission went to the newly formed
Countryside Agency.
English Nature worked closely with the JNCC and the equivalent bodies for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland (the
Northern Ireland Environment Agency) to bring a consistent approach to nature conservation throughout the United Kingdom and towards fulfilling its international obligations.
The agency ceased to exist in October 2006 following a review by
Lord Haskins, enacted in the
Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.
Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006
It was integrated with parts of both the Rural Development Service
The Rural Development Service (RDS) was formerly part of the UK Government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). It ceased to exist on 1 October 2006 following the creation of Natural England.
History
The RDS was crea ...
and the Countryside Agency from 1 October 2006, to form a new body called Natural England.
References
*
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External links
Natural England
archived in August 2006
Conservation in England
Environmental organisations based in England
Defunct organisations based in England
Defunct public bodies of the United Kingdom
Environmental organizations established in 1990
Government agencies established in 1990
Government agencies disestablished in 2006
1990 establishments in England
2006 disestablishments in England