England’s new nature reserves ‘will help us tackle global heating’

Conservation and climate change policy 'should be two sides of same coin', says chair of Natural England

A new generation of national nature reserves are being created to help improve people's health and mitigate the effects of climatic extremes, according to the chair of the government's conservation watchdog.

The South London Downs reserve is the first in a series of landscapes that will be designated a national nature reserve this year, said Tony Juniper of Natural England. Several more will follow this autumn, including what he described as one "very significant" newly protected area.