Protected Species Surveys
Many species of wild animal and plant in the UK are afforded protection under UK and European legislation such as the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended); the Protection of Badgers Act (1992) and The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 to name just a few. As a consequence, there are legal and planning obligations relating to these species.
Surveys are now commonly required to determine the likely or possible impacts of human activities and to form a reliable basis for decision-making. In most situations, surveys for protected species can only be undertaken by appropriately experienced and qualified ecologists. In many cases, a specific ‘survey licence’ is required to complete assessments.
At Focus Ecology we benefit from many years experience of working with legally protected species in a variety of different contexts including planning, development and conservation. We hold a wide suite of survey licences for England and Wales including the most commonly-requested; bats and great crested newts.
In addition, we have experience in obtaining Natural England mitigation (development) licences for bats and great crested newts. We have also held numerous Natural England licences to disturb and close badger setts.
The following list indicates the protected species surveys that we most commonly undertake.
- Bats
- Great crested newts
- Badgers
- Reptiles
- Barn owls
- Black redstarts
- Breeding bird surveys
- Wintering bird surveys
- White-clawed crayfish
- Otters
- Water vole
- Dormice
