We recognise the need to keep everyone 'in touch' with changes, events and each other. The Habitats Regulations Journal is designed to do just that.

The River Wye SAC at Symonds Yat
Many professionals dealing with Habitats Regulations cases often work alone, or in small groups, or as the only person dealing with these matters in larger organisations. As such, it is difficult to maintain confidence that you are applying the Regulations in the way that you should. You may be unaware of new guidance, emerging case law, amendment of the Regulations, new initiatives or training opportunities. You may feel that you are ‘reinventing the wheel’ in order to find solutions because you cannot share experience and ideas with others.


The Journal regularly features: ‘Editorial’, ‘News’, ‘Legal update’, ‘Reviews’, Best Practice ‘Case studies’, and is available to all subscribers of the Handbook.

Importantly, it is open to you to contribute.Front covers of Journals 3, 4 and 5

We welcome, from anyone working in the field:

  • Case studies
  • Good practice examples
  • News items
  • Reports on research
  • Updates
  • Letters
  • Comments and suggestions
  • Short articles (250 - 1,000 words)
  • Longer articles (1,000 - 2,000 words)
  • Other contributions


We are also interested in what is happening outside of the UK, especially in Ireland and other Member States.

Click here if you would like to contribute.


The Journal is edited by the authors of the Handbooks, with help from our Editorial Panel which comprises:

  • Dr Adam Cole-King BSc, PhD (Senior International Sites Adviser, Natural Resources Wales)
  • Steven Clifton BSc (Hons), PGDIP, MCIEEM (Principal Advisor, Protected Sites Regulation, Natural England)
  • Bernie Fleming MCIEEM (Director, Fleming Ecology)
  • Bethany Lovell BSc, MSc, MCIEEM (Advisor, National Biodiversity Team, Environment Agency)
  • Graham Machin BCL, MA (Oxon), LARTPI (Barrister and Legal Adviser on the Handbook)
  • John Kerr, BSc (Hons), MSc, MRICS (Operations Manager—Protected Areas and Nature Reserves, NatureScot)
  • Dr Shaun Nicholson BSc (Hons), Pg Cert, PhD, FCIWEM, CWEM, CBiol, FRSB, FMBA (Head of Strategic Marine Licensing, Marine Management Organisation, MMO)
We are also interested in what is happening outside of the UK, especially in Ireland and other Member States

" David Tyldesley & Associates have a long experience of involvement in the application of the Habitats Regulations Assessment process and this product usefully draws together the current state of collective understanding"

Janette Ward (Director Regulation, Natural England)

 

 

"Accessible, up to date and expertly written - this is a very useful source of guidance for competent authorities and others involved in assessing both projects and plans"

Adam Cole-King (Senior International Sites Adviser, Natural Resources Wales)

 

 

"This HRA Handbook brings a 20th century piece of legislation into the 21st century for everyone to understand"

Craig Rockliffe (Permitting and Conservation Team Leader, Environment Agency)

 


"This Handbook provides a useful guide to HRA application and case law in English territorial waters" 

Lisa Chilton (Head of Offshore Industries Advice, Joint Nature Conservation Committee)

 


"The MMO is committed to enabling sustainable growth in making decisions about developoments at sea. We use the HRA Handbook to gain an overview of case law and help ensure consistency in our decision making"

Dickon Howell (Head of Licensing, Marine Management Organisation)

 


"A timely and much needed publication from the recognised and respected HRA experts" 

Wyn Jones (Convenor of the Nature Conservation Working Group for the UK Environmental Law Association)

 


"We welcome this detailed guidance and informed discussion on what is a critically important and often complex area of European conservation legislation" 

John Box (CEnv FCIEEM) (President of the Chartered Institute for Ecology and Environmental Management)

News

The Handbook content has been updated to take account of all recent judgments in the CJEU and the EU Exit amendment Regulations (4 January 2021). 

 

We have advised the CIEEM In Practice editor that the approach described in the recent article on ‘A novel approach to quantify and mitigate for biodiversity loss caused by Nitrogen deposition’ is inappropriate.  We believe that what is described as mitigation – offsite buffer area for habitat creation and improvement – is actually compensation for the harm to the habitats in the designated SAC.  We advise that this approach should not be adopted without taking legal advice and consulting Natural England HRA and air quality specialists (12th January 2021).