Protected Species Archives

Supporting Professional Development: Great Crested Newt survey training for ecologists

As part of the Continued Professional Development programme for our Welsh team, Principal Ecologist Rachel Taylor led an evening “introduction to great crested newts” in Brecon in early May. Our staff were joined by the local authority ecologists for Powys and the Brecon Beacons National Park (BBNP), and a planning officer from BBNP.

13 May, 2019

Great Crested Newt eDNA surveys: how to save money and avoid delays in planning

Environmental DNA (eDNA) survey can provide a rapid and cost effective means of determining the presence or likely absence of great crested newts. This short article gives some insight into the benefits and limitations of the technique.

23 April, 2019

Badger Bait Marking for BBOWT: surveys at Chimney Meadows Reserve, Oxfordshire

BSG Ecology has recently completed a badger survey, for the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) on their Chimney Meadows reserve. Part of the reserve was also covered by a bait marking survey. This has revealed that there are three different badger clans using the area covered, has allowed a better understanding of the size of badger territories and of which setts are used by the different groups. This will inform the detail of BBOWT’s approach to vaccination of badgers (against bovine tuberculosis), as well as giving more insight into how clans use the reserve and interact with each other.

28 March, 2019

Natural England’s New Charging Policy for Protected Species Licences – What does it mean for your project?

Natural England has established a Wildlife Licensing Service to deal with protected species licence submissions, returns and renewals. This new service will also lead on plans to charge for mitigation licences, a process that will be subject to a phased role out that will commence in April 2019.

13 March, 2019

Oxford North – Oxford’s new urban district – public consultation begins

BSG Ecology has been part of the professional team that has worked to bring forward proposals for the Oxford North development over the last 5 years. We are delighted that the project has now reached the public consultation stage, which started on Friday 23rd June.

16 August, 2018

The People over Wind decision- big implications for the NPPF in England?

A recent decision by the European Court of Justice (CJEU) has thrown the planning process into a spin and gives rise to an issue that needs resolving before the new NPPF is published. The judgement can be found here. What has the CJEU concluded? The judgement is that...

09 August, 2018

Peter Newbold granted Water Vole Low Impact Class Licence

BSG Ecology now has two members of its team who benefit from a water vole displacement license (Jim Fairclough in our Hathersage Office working across Derbyshire, the Midlands and Greater Manchester; and Peter Newbold in our Oxford Office working across South-East England).

17 January, 2018

BSG Ecology uses new Natural England European Protected Species Licensing Policies to reduce costs and timescales for Project Completion

BSG Ecology has recently been successful in securing a Bat Mitigation Licence for urgent roofing works by utilising one of Natural England’s four new European Protected Species (EPS) licensing policies. This allowed works to progress at least seven months sooner than would otherwise have been the case and meant that significant project cost savings could be made. BSG Ecology understand, from liaison with Natural England, that this was only the second case relating to bats to be considered under the new licencing policies, since their introduction in December 2016.

29 March, 2017

Natura 2000 post Brexit in the UK – Challenges and Opportunities

BSG Ecology Partners Kirsty Kirkham and Peter Shepherd have contributed an article on Natura 2000 post Brexit to the December 2016 edition of DTA Publications’ Habitats Regulations Assessment Journal.

30 November, 2016

Government announces further Sale of Military Sites – Wildlife Considerations

As reported by the BBC on 7 November 2016, a Government review of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) estate has concluded that ninety-one sites covering an area of approximately 32,500 acres will be released. This will result in running cost savings for the MoD, and free up land that has the potential to deliver up to 55,000 new homes.

09 November, 2016

Paper Review – Habitat use by Noctule bats in a landscape with a high density of wind turbines

In this article, Peter Shepherd (BSG Partner) reviews a recent study that looked at noctule ranging behaviour in an area of high wind turbine density in Germany, and draws conclusions with regard to how the study can potentially be used to inform wind farm surveys, assessment and mitigation strategies.

27 October, 2016

Using drones for ecology: moving towards best-practice guidance

In the third of a series of articles that looks at the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones for ecological survey, BSG Ecology Partner Steve Betts discusses guidelines for ecologists to ensure that this technology is used appropriately. BSG Ecology is now using drones to assist with site assessments, as they allow easy monitoring of areas that are otherwise difficult to access.

17 October, 2016

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