Badger Survey, Barn Owl Surveys, Emergence Bat Survey, Great crested newt
Ecology Surveys
Surveys are essential in protecting yourself from breaking the law and, more importantly, protecting UK wildlife from being harmed or disturbed throughout development works. Cherryfield Ecology cover a wide range of ecology surveys in Bedfordshire and surrounding areas which can assist you in a swift planning proposal for your site. From your back garden to a scrub-filled wasteland, a range of protected species can be present on your site.
Why get a survey?
Why do you need an ecological survey? Ecology surveys in Bedfordshire are necessary in upholding the UK law. There are numerous Acts and legislation covering species across the UK however the primary legislation for wildlife protection in the UK is the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (Wildlife Trusts, 2019). Ecology surveys identify habitats and species within an area at the time of a survey (Designing Buildings Wiki, 2019) and are therefore needed to ascertain whether any protected species will be disturbed or harmed in a development.
If a building is to be demolished, it must be checked for species like bats; although all our British bat species can roost in buildings, for some species buildings are essential for roost sites (BCT, 2019). When an area of scrub land is to be cleared, it must be checked for species such as reptiles (Kent Wildlife Trust, 2018); reptiles prefer mosaics of grassland and scrub land where they can remain inconspicuous. This said, our ecology surveys in Bedfordshire and, the surrounding area, range from the general ecology surveys (CIEEM, 2017) like an Ecological Appraisal Survey to species-specific surveys like bat emergence surveys, Great Crested Newt Triturus cristatus surveys and Water Vole Arvicola amphibius surveys.
Are you planning to re-roof your house? Or have you got plans to transform your farmland? Our range of expertise means we can cater for all your ecology survey needs. If you need an ecology survey in Bedfordshire, or the surrounding areas, then call us to book.
Find out more and book your survey here
References
Designing Buildings Wiki (2019), https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Ecological_survey_for_design_and_construction, Date Accessed: 11/11/2019
Wildlife Trusts (2019), https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/uk-wildlife-law, Date Accessed: 11/11/2019
Kent Wildlife Trust (2018) https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/2018-06/KWT%20Land%20Mgt%20Advice_Sheet%207%20-%20Scrub%20-value%20for%20wildlife%26mgt.pdf, Date Accessed: 11/11/2019
Bat Conservation Trust (2019) https://www.bats.org.uk/about-bats/where-do-bats-live/bat-roosts/roosts-in-buildings, Date Accessed: 11/11/2019
Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (2017) https://cieem.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Guide-to-Ecological-Surveys-and-Their-Purpose-Dec2017.pdf, Date Accessed: 11/11/2019
