Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Natural England definition

What does Natural England mean? In legal practice, Natural England is the statutory nature conservation adviser for England, frequently engaged in planning and infrastructure consenting, Habitats Regulations Assessment, protected species licensing and site conservation. Created by the Natural environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, and acting under legislation including the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 and the Marine and Coastal access Act 2009, it is the “appropriate nature conservation body” for England. Key functions include: statutory consultee responses on planning and nationally significant infrastructure; SSSI notification and consents; advice on Habitats Regulations Assessment and nutrient neutrality;...

Wildlife licensing in England and Wales: legal framework, regulators, licence types, grant tests, enforcement, fees and recent developments

Published by a LexisNexis Environment expert

Practice notes

Introduction: what is a wildlife licence?

A wildlife licence authorises the licence holder to undertake work that may affect protected species of animals and plants. It enables conduct that would otherwise be unlawful. It permits actions that, in the absence of a licence, would be prohibited by law. Importantly, where a person carries out activities impacting protected species without a licence, they are likely to commit an offence and could be punished by a fine or imprisonment. The use and issue of licences to safeguard wildlife and nature is long established in international law and is set out in EU biodiversity directives upon which UK law is based (i.e. the Birds Directive, the Habitats Directive and the Bern Convention). For more information, see the following Practice Notes:

EU Birds Directive 2009/147/EC
EU Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC
Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (the Bern Convention)—snapshot

Domestic regulations continue to refer to EU legislation which, further to the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act 2023, is now referred to as assimilated law; that is, law retained from the UK’s membership of the EU. For this reason, it is...

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Web page updated on 22/05/2026

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