Avocet in breach

Services

Juvenile Marsh Harrier

Capability Statement

Co-ecology provides professional ecological consultancy services for all aspects of commercial practise. A selection of our work is provided in more detail in a series of dedicated service pages on this website, provided primarily as an illustration of the types of activities we cover and not a definitive list. Our work can be divided into three key streams:

  • Surveys and data collection
  • Evaluation, assessment and advice
  • Consents and mitigation

Surveys and data collection

All following standard accepted methodology, adhering to biodiversity best practise and completed by experienced and licensed surveyors. We can carry out the following surveys using either in-house staff or one of our network of trusted associates.

  • Habitats – UK Habitat classification is our default but we can also record following standard Phase 1 habitat survey methodology and the more advanced National Vegetation Classification (NVC) to help determine in detail the plant communities present and their composition.
  • Bats – preliminary roost assessments, emergence and dawn re-entry surveys, activity transects, static detectors, crossing point surveys and hibernation visits.
  • ** Drones** – We operate a small fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles including survey grade Dji Mavic 3 Enterprise drones with Multispectral cameras for habitat condition assessments and Thermal imaging for monitoring bats and other mammals. We hold all necessary insurances, our pilots are all formally trained and the company is a Registered Operator with the CAA.
  • Badgers – sett identification and classification, camera trapping, bait marking and territory mapping.
  • Birds – breeding bird surveys following Common Bird Census methodology, wintering bird surveys from October to March, dedicated surveys for schedule 1 species such as Black Redstart.
  • Dormouse – habitat assessment and nest tube surveys to determine presence and population size.
  • Great crested newts – eDNA and pond surveys to determine presence and population size.
  • Invertebrates – both terrestrial and aquatic environments with surveys targeted to the genera assemblage or specific species protected under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations, Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) as amended and/or S41 priority species as listed on the NERC act (2000).
  • Riparian mammals – surveys for otters and water voles throughout a water course or catchment area recording sufficient information to determine population size and status and home range.

Evaluation, Assessment and Design

Our reporting and approaches are always in line with accepted best practise and where applicable the British Standard for Biodiversity (BS42020) and adhere to planning policy and guidance from CIEEM. Preliminary Ecological Appraisal – The base layer of information and assessment that is required for almost all planning applications.

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) – Now a statutory requirement for 99% of development projects this process is the vehicle for determining the biodiversity changes associated with a scheme of any size and scale. We can help guide your design processes to avoid loss or impact to higher value habitats and maximise potential gains by centring new habitats on land that currently has lower ecological value.
River Condition Assessments (RCA) - Where developments come within 10m of a watercourse a formal assessment following published criteria with surveys conducted by specifically trained ecologists. The Environment Agency states that watercourse BNG for watercourses is integral to: Nature recovery, Climate resilience and Sustainable water management.
Habitat Management and Monitoring Plans (HMMP) – Now an integral part of the BNG process the HMMP is drafted as part of planning conditions. It is a legal agreement and covers your obligation to enhance and maintain any BNG habitats. It sets out how you will maintain any habitats, who is responsible for creating or enhancing them and who is responsible for maintenance, management and monitoring. This legal agreement must last for at least 30 years.

  • Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) – Where impacts are predicted for any ecologically important receptors and EcIA is the format and process that can be followed to determine not only impacts but the measures required to mitigate them and provide compensation and enhancement for the scheme. The format followed is the methodology laid out by CIEEM and used either as stand alone assessment or as an ecology chapter that forms part of a wider Environmental Statement.
  • Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA) – This is the process of assessment to determine impacts to those sites, Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Areas (SPA), that are protected under the Habitat Regulations. This starts with a stage 1 screening opinion which is sued to determine if the plan or project either alone or in combination could have a Likely Significant Effect (LSE) on the integrity of the site/s. If LSE cannot be disproved then a full Appropriate Assessment (AA) will be required, we can prepare this a as a Shadow AA for approval and adoption by the competent authority.
  • Ecological Constraints and Opportunities Plan (ECOP) – A really useful tool that allows an iterative design process to unfold as ecological data is gathered and the scheme’s design is evolved. We use this to map out any likely or identified constraints on the site and overlay those with your proposals, this allows a quick assessment to be made and enables the design team to follow the mitigation hierarchy.
  • Ecological Design Strategy – A post planning document that is described in BS42020 and increasingly being one of the key documents detailed within planning conditions. We work with you and your team to devise the detail that will aim to achieve Biodiversity Net Gain in an practicable and functional way.
  • Construction and Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) – Commonly produced to guide construction activities and avoid any adverse environmental impacts occurring during construction. We can draft a chapter on biodiversity for inclusion in your own CEMP or can draft a stand alone document that centres on biodiversity protection.
  • Landscape and Ecological Management Plan (LEMP) – Another post planning document that can be used as a companion to the EDS and seeks to provide management prescriptions to be followed during the operational life of a project. Co-ecology can produce this document for your scheme and will include also a work schedule, monitoring and measures for remediating any problems that may arise.

Consents and Mitigation

  • Licensing and consents – We can prepare and obtain all of the different types of consents administered by Natural England that may be required for your scheme. This includes but is not limited to registering your site under the Bat Mitigation Class Licence and Badger Class Licence schemes. Mitigation Licences for bats, dormice and great crested newts and other Annex 1 species as well as Conservation and Displacement consent for water voles.
  • Mitigation – The practical implementation of a particular consent and following the agreed licensed methodology. We can field suitably experienced ecologists to both oversee but also directly implement mitigation measures such as the closure of badger setts and the destructive search by soft demolition of bat roosts.
  • Ecological Clerk of Works (ECoW) – The role of an ECoW is integral to the implementation of biodiversity protection measures that have been detailed in an EcIA and/or a CEMP, EDS, LEMP and any mitigation licences that may have been granted for the scheme. The ECoW can be deployed to carry out pre-construction activities and/or provide an audit function during the construction period, the latter now often being requested by an LPA as part of planning conditions for a scheme.