Habitat Creation

In 2016 The Mammal Society Mitigation Guidance Series published the new Water Vole Mitigation Handbook. This publication aims to promote best practice in the surveying and mitigation of water voles by ecological consultants, and to guide and inform decision makers that suitable survey information is provided and suitable mitigation measures proposed (Dean et al., 2016).

The new mitigation guidelines include some key changes to:

·         Licensing in relation to the ‘displacement’ of water voles

After the wettest winter on record and widespread flooding across the UK, Alastair Driver (the National Biodiversity Manager of the Environment Agency) took to twitter to highlight the efforts into Natural Flood Management research across the UK. Some of the facts tweeted include -

The term ‘great crested newt mitigation’ usually triggers images of miles of expensive plastic fencing and pitfall traps. However, consideration to green infrastructure can provide higher quality mitigation for development schemes, and could be a better use of resources.

Recently Defra has published the “Natural Environment White Paper Implementation Update” (or NEWP). This looks at the progress that has been made since the last White Paper that was produced in December 2012 and the steps that the government has made to improve natural environments.

The paper notes a number of improvements including-