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English Nature
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
English Nature was the United Kingdom government agency that promoted the conservation of wildlife, geology and wild places throughout England between 1990 and 2006. It was a non-departmental public body funded by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and gave statutory advice, grants and licences.
Following a review by Lord Haskins, enacted in the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 [1] in March 2006, English Nature ceased to exist in October 2006. It was integrated with parts of both the Rural Development Service and the Countryside Agency from 1 October 2006, to form a new body called Natural England.
The Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) (formerly the Nature Conservancy) was established to cover nature conservation issues across the whole of Great Britain in 1948 by an Act of Parliament, the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1948. 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 to form Scottish Natural Heritage, and similarly in Wales there was a merger to form the Countryside Council for Wales. An overarching, but much smaller body, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), oversaw all three agencies. The English functions of the Countryside Commission went to the newly-formed Countryside Agency.
English Nature worked closely with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the equivalent bodies for Scotland (Scottish Natural Heritage), Wales (Countryside Council for Wales) and Northern Ireland (Environment and Heritage Service) to bring a consistent approach to nature conservation throughout the UK and towards fulfilling its international obligations.