Natural England forced to ask the public for donations to protect wildlife after budget cuts The agency has seen its budget from Whitehall cut from £242m in 2009-10 to £100m, while staff numbers have been reduced from 2,500 to 1,500

A government agency has been forced to ask the public for donations to protect wildlife and conservation areas after its state funding was cut, it emerged.

Natural England, which advises ministers on environmental policy and regulates nature reserves in England, has taken the extraordinary step of setting up a crowdfunding page so it can continue to perform its duties, which are supposed to be covered by government support.

These include protecting rare wildlife habitats in East Sussex, funding a project to bring back hen harriers to southern England, and restoring woodland with native species near the Welsh border. People can also sponsor a native Cornish pony for £20.

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The agency has seen its budget from Whitehall cut from £242m in 2009-10 to £100m in 2017-18, while staff numbers have been reduced from 2,500 to roughly 1,500 over the same period. Earlier this year Prospect, the union which represents workers at Natural England, said the agency was at “crisis point” because of eight years of the 1% public sector pay cap and stress from under-staffing.

Budget cuts

Extraordinary that a public body, funded & run by @DefraGovUK is crowdfunding to protect nature. There’s £2bn extra cash for no deal Brexit but none for nature @TonyJuniper @dpcarrington @janemerrick23 @PippaCrerar @PickardJE @SamCoatesSky https://t.co/5ZoZiXFfNp — Mary Creagh Stay Home Stay Safe (@MaryCreaghMP) August 7, 2019

The crowdfunding was revealed by the conservation blogger Mark Avery. The Labour MP and chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee, Mary Creagh, questioned why there was a squeeze on protecting the natural environment at a time when ministers could find billions to prepare for a no deal Brexit.

She tweeted: “Extraordinary that a public body, funded & run by @DefraGovUK is crowdfunding to protect nature. There’s £2bn extra cash for no deal Brexit but none for nature.”

On its crowdfunding page, Natural England says it “protects and conserves some of the country’s most iconic landscapes,” including the Lizard in Cornwall and Lindisfarne in Northumbria, and that it exists “to secure a health natural environment for people to enjoy, where wildlife is protected and landscapes are conserved”.

It adds: “We are uniquely placed to secure the future of some of England’s most beautiful and important natural heritage, and we do this while promoting access to the countryside and encouraging open air recreation for all. Please help us to continue our vital conservation work by donating today.”

Defra declined to respond to a request to comment.

Natural England chairman Tony Juniper said: “Natural England has a very wide ranging remit – often working with other organisations – to protect, manage and restore England’s nature and landscapes. Our work is funded from different sources, including government funding.

“Due to a decline in official funding for Natural England, we have been looking at ways to diversify our income, including crowd funding. However, this funding is never used to carry out statutory functions – it is solely used for standalone projects which go above and beyond to protect our natural world.”

