Who regulates conservation?

The main government bodies responsible for species and habitat conservation in the UK are:

  • Natural England
  • Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA)
  • Scottish Natural Heritage
  • Countryside Council for Wales.

These organisations are responsible for promoting nature conservation and for protecting and encouraging biodiversity. Their work includes:
  • providing advice to government and others on nature conservation
  • designating and monitoring protected sites, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSIs), National parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and National Nature Reserves (NNRs)
  • enforcing conservation regulations
  • research projects
  • administrating grants.
The Joint Nature Conservation Committtee is the statutory adviser to government on UK and international nature conservation. It delivers the responsibilities of the four nature conservation government bodies.

What is the role of your environmental regulator in conservation?

Your environmental regulator is:

  • the Environment Agency in England and Wales
  • the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) in Northern Ireland
  • the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) in Scotland

The environmental regulators lead on environmental protection and the improvement of the quality of soil, air and water. They:

  • have a duty to conserve and enhance the natural environment
  • must consider the effects on species or habitats of any proposed work they undertake, for example flood defence works or land management
  • must consider the potential effects on species or habitats when considering any consent, licence or permit application, for example water discharge or abstraction consents
  • must consult with the government’s conservation bodies where their interests overlap, particularly where a proposal or application would affect Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Areas of Special Scientific Interest or European Natura 2000 nature conservation sites.

In Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) operates as both the environmental regulator and the conservation body.

In this guideline: