Blog

The new Water Vole Mitigation Handbook has been published and includes changes to displacement and relocation methods. Our HCEC team have been helping Oxford University with a project comparing different displacements methods and their effectiveness for water vole mitigation. Our consulting and contracting teams spent a day undertaking water vole training in June.

The start of 2016 has been a busy for the habitat creation team here at Ecosulis. We have been planting a native woodland in Crawley, as part of a large flood alleviation scheme, vegetation clearance for a large housing development in Swindon and wetland maintenance for the Environment Agency in Buckland Marsh.

Members of the Ecosulis Consulting Team are supporting Hedgehog Awareness Week, by promoting hedgehogs and encouraging others to do the same, showing you how easy it is to get involved! 

In March this year I was lucky enough to be enrolled on a Tree Climbing and Aerial Rescue course at Bridgwater College, Cannington. 

Sara King, Senior Ecological Consultant for Ecosulis, was interviewed by BBC News regarding great crested newt in the context of the current consultation being undertake by Natural England. 

While the full survey period for great crested newts is March to June, don't forget that at least two survey visits need to be completed between mid-April and mid-May. That gives only 2.5 months to get the survey priced, commissioned and completed where GCN are present. 

The British Standard for Biodiversity BS42020 was published in 2013, however it is only just starting to filter into planning applications and is becoming increasing recognised as a standard to adhere to. This blog summarises the benefit of working to the standards.

The most recent JNCC Biodiversity Indicators report provides an update on long and short term trends across key biodiversity indicators and is based on an easy to interpret ‘traffic light’ system. 

There have been reports of bats and reptiles already active this year as well as amphibians heading towards breeding ponds and even frog-spawn present in ponds around the country. This blog explores the implications of this and lists some of the most frequently encountered early risers! 

Last reviewed in 2009, the fourth update of the status has been completed, showing a large movement of species, unfortunately many in the wrong direction. 

The Third Edition of the Bat Conservation Trust Good Practice Guidelines (sponsored by Ecosulis) have just been released. Here is an overview of what you need to know, and how it may affect your upcoming projects.

...The Dutch Dragon Chipper had arrived! It was huge! At around 20m long and weighing 40t fully laden it is a very impressive piece of kit – the chipper alone is powered by a 550hp engine...