Many species that can be found on or near to proposed development sites are protected by law under a variety of legislation including the Habitats Directive (European Protected Species), Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (as amended (EU Exit) 2019); The Wildlife and Countryside Act (as amended) 1981, and The Protection of Badgers Act 1992, for example. Some species may also be listed as priority species under UK or Local Biodiversity Action Plans, or as a Red or Amber listed species under the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Birds of Conservation Concern (BOCC). As such these species will need to be considered when assessing a site for development.
TEP’s ecology team provide expertise in a wide variety of protected species surveys with highly experienced surveyors in many disciplines, with most TEP surveyors holding one or more protected species licenses. TEP is also licensed by Natural England and Natural Resources Wales to undertake terrestrial and freshwater protected species surveys.
Protected species surveys will be required if either:
– a desk-based assessment produces records for any protected species within or within influencing distance of the site that is likely to be affected by the development;
– habitats on or immediately adjacent to the site are suitable for any protected species that are known to, or likely to occur within the local vicinity of the site;
– habitats on site are functionally linked to similar habitats in protected sites within influencing distance of the site, which are designated for protected species or for nationally or internationally important populations of certain species (particularly relevant to birds); or
– any protected species, or dwellings, tracks or signs of any protected species are recorded on or adjacent to the site during site walkovers, preliminary ecological assessments or extended phase 1 habitat surveys.
Most protected species surveys are timed seasonally, to fit in with the yearly life cycle of the particular species, and TEP follows all official guidelines and industry standards for survey techniques and optimal survey periods to establish accurate and accountable results. With the extensive knowledge and expertise within TEP’s ecology team, TEP are then able to utilise these results to produce informed and innovative outcomes, satisfying all parties.
Protected species surveys that TEP offer include:
Otters (January to December) & Water Voles (April to September)
Otter and water vole surveys may be required if there are watercourses or wet ditches on the site. Two surveys should be conducted, the first between mid-April and end of June, and the second between the beginning of July and September. The surveys should be completed at least two months apart to account for variations in habitat suitability across the water vole breeding season, which affects water vole distribution and apparent population size. Otter and Water Vole surveys can be carried out simultaneously by a pair of experienced surveyors, looking for tracks and signs along the water courses, banks and adjacent land. The survey area should extend for 30-100m outside of the site boundary.
Badgers (January to December) – 7 monitoring visits over 3 weeks
Badger licensable works (July to November)
Badger surveys can be undertaken at any time of year but the most effective period is in early spring or late autumn when territorial marking is taking place and badgers are most active. An experienced surveyor will search the survey area for tracks, signs and setts, including surveying land within a 30-100m buffer outside of the site boundary. A lack of vegetation in early spring helps surveyors locate setts in dense vegetation. If a mitigation licence is required to enable developments to proceed, licensable works are typically only permitted between July and November to avoid the breeding season.
Dormice (April to October, November to December)
The habitats on and adjacent to the site will first be assessed for their suitability to support dormice by an experienced surveyor. If required, dormouse surveys will then be carried out in the appropriate season by a licensed surveyor using one, or a combination of the following survey methods:
If dormouse tubes or nestboxes are deployed, a minimum of 50 will be required and should be checked monthly. If dormice are confirmed a survey licence will be required for these types of survey methods, and a development licence will need to be applied for should any development affect a dormouse population, which TEP can apply for on behalf of our clients.
Great Crested Newts
Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) Assessment
HSI assessments will be undertaken of all ponds on site and within a 500m radius of the site in accordance with the method described in the ARG UK Advice Note 5 (2010) (adapted from the methods of Oldham et al., 2000). HSI is a standard measure of calculating the suitability of a pond to support breeding great crested newts (GCN), based on an assessment of ten characteristics (indices), including size, shading, depth and vegetation profile. The assessment is undertaken by a licensed ecologist and generates a number between 0 and 1 for each of the indices which are combined to provide an overall assessment of a pond’s suitability to support GCN on a categorical scale.
Great crested newts – pond surveys (Mid-March to June)
The seasonal window for traditional great crested newt surveys is between mid-March and June, subject to suitable weather conditions and air temperatures above 5oC. These involve four visits to determine presence or absence with an additional two visits to obtain a population estimate if great crested newts (GCN) are present. At least half of the surveys should be undertaken between mid-April and mid-May and up to four survey techniques may be used including egg searches, netting, bottle trapping and torching. Surveys will be led by licensed great crested newt surveyors. If the site is within an area covered by a District-Level Licensing (DLL) scheme, TEP can advise on survey scope.
Great crested newts – eDNA surveys (Mid-April to June)
Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling became widely accepted as a great crested newt (GCN) survey method for determining presence or absence in 2014. Trained and licensed great crested newt surveyors take a number of water samples from the waterbody, which are sent to a laboratory for DNA analysis. Results will come back from the laboratory as positive or negative for GCN presence. If eDNA results are returned positive, additional surveys to determine GCN population size may be required to support a planning application or GCN licence application.
Great crested newts – terrestrial surveys and translocations (April to October)
Terrestrial surveys and translocations are generally carried out by experienced ecologists outside of the breeding season, once the newts have left their aquatic habitat, and before hibernation. These surveys will include detailed hand searches, looking under any suitable refugia, and translocations will also usually include licensed pitfall trapping which will require daily visits.
Reptiles (surveys: April to May, September – 7 visits; translocations April to October)
Reptile surveys use a combination of visual searches and the deployment of artificial refugia. To establish presence or assumed absence, surveyors will check refugia for basking reptiles and conduct a visual search of the site over seven survey visits. Surveys should be spaced over a period of 3 – 6 weeks and should be carried out during suitable weather conditions between April and late May, or between late August and late September. Translocations of reptiles will need a suitable receptor site established in advance, and experienced surveyors will record all reptiles that are translocated.
Birds
Bird surveys may be required if there are suitable habitats on site; records of protected species or important numbers of particular species on or near to the site; sites designated for their bird populations are located within or near to the site; or the site is functionally linked to sites designated for their important bird populations.
Wintering birds (October to March – 1 or 2 visits per month)
A wintering bird survey comprises a number of survey visits which will be conducted throughout the winter bird season, from October to March. Up to two surveys may be recommended per month, as deemed appropriate for the site. Surveys will cover the entire site as well as land within 500m of the site. These surveys generally focus on important wintering bird species and populations, such as waders, wildfowl, winter thrushes, and protected bird species such as Schedule 1, and red and amber Birds of Conservation Concern (BoCC) listed bird species.
Breeding birds (mid-March to early July)
Breeding bird surveys will cover the site and land within a suitable survey buffer extending beyond the site. Recent updates to the bird survey guidance means a default minimum of six survey visits will now be conducted between mid-March and early July, following a transect method with one of these being an evening visit, unless a robust justification can be made as to why a fewer or a greater number of visits are required. Generally, surveys for breeding birds are carried out approximately between half an hour before sunrise and mid-morning (10–11 am, with some regional variation). All bird activity will be mapped and recorded using standard British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) codes.
Bats
Daytime Bat Surveys (January to December)
Certain types of bat survey can be undertaken all year round, including preliminary roost assessments of built structures, ground level tree assessments and aerial inspections of buildings and trees. TEP licensed bat ecologists follow survey methodologies set out by the Bat Conservation Trust. Following the surveys, each built structure or tree is assigned a roosting potential category which will determine any additional survey requirements. These additional surveys typically have strict seasonal windows and therefore should be planned well in advance.
Nocturnal bat roost surveys (May to September) and Bat activity surveys (April to October)
Nocturnal bat surveys are used to identify roosts or key foraging and commuting features within a site and these are typically preceded by a daytime survey. TEP are able to provide bat activity surveys, nocturnal roost surveys of buildings and trees and back tracking roost surveys, led by a licensed bat ecologist. Survey effort differs for each site but surveys should be spaced at least two weeks apart and some must be undertaken between the core breeding season (May to August). If bats are confirmed to be roosting a mitigation licence may be required.
Bat hibernation surveys (November to March)
Bat hibernation surveys may be required for trees or structures such as cellars, railway tunnels, culverts and mines. Such surveys are undertaken by licensed bat ecologists between November and March, with some surveys required between December and February. Surveys will include manual inspections and the deployment of automated detectors by a licensed bat ecologist. Some of our licensed bat ecologists are also qualified to work in confined spaces (low- and medium-risk). If bats are confirmed to be hibernating a mitigation licence may be required.
White Clawed Crayfish (July to September)
White-clawed crayfish are protected in the UK under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), are included under Annexes II and V of the European Union Habitats Directive and have been adopted as a Species of Principal Importance for the Conservation of Biodiversity in England. They are also under threat from several competitor alien species such as signal crayfish.
If suitable water-bodies are present that will be impacted by a development, then white-clawed crayfish surveys may be required. The habitats on and adjacent to the site will first be assessed for their suitability to support white-clawed crayfish by an experienced surveyor. If required, white-clawed crayfish surveys will then be carried out in the appropriate season by a licensed surveyor using one, or a combination of the following survey methods:
A survey licence from Natural England is required for surveying white-clawed crayfish. If a development may impact any white-clawed crayfish, a development licence will also be required from the relevant statutory body, which TEP can apply for on behalf of a client.
Terrestrial Invertebrates (April to September)
Any proposed development site is likely to contain a variety of invertebrates, but the variety of species occurring and the presence of scarce or rare species can be dependent on the types of habitat present. An initial assessment of the habitats for invertebrates can be undertaken as part of a Preliminary Ecological Assessment or during an Extended Phase 1 Habitat survey. If considered required, an invertebrate scoping survey should then be undertaken by an experienced surveyor. The habitat assessment and scoping surveys can be undertaken at any time of year although the optimal time would be from April – September.
Presence/absence invertebrate surveys can vary between one off surveys, or a series of surveys carried out between spring and late summer. The number and timing of surveys will depend upon the species or taxonomic order being surveyed for and the objective of the survey.
Invertebrates can usually be collected between April and September as they are generally hard to find at other times of the year. Survey techniques for invertebrates include using sweep nets, visual transects (butterflies), beating trays, pond nets, pitfall traps set in the ground, malaise traps or light traps, which are useful for catching night-flying insects like moths.
