All Protected Species
European Protected Species
Development works have the potential to damage the natural environment, and as a result, disrupt any number of endangered species. Protected animals situated in the UK are defended under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, preventing unnecessary harm to listed protected species and their various habitats.
In addition to UK legislation, the wide range of animal species are also safeguarded by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, Natural England and other organisations all over the world that support protected species with global conservation status. In order to bypass overlap between a development project and a likely presence of native species, help from an ecological consultant will be needed, enabling them to conduct protected species surveys, apply for European protected species licences or undertake other additional surveys as required.
Protected Species in the UK
From barn owls to great crested newts and natterjack toads to the large population of bats, many species are protected by law and inhabit the West Midlands and the wider UK.
All the species under legal protection can be found in Section 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. If, however, you want to learn more about UK protected species surveys, we’ve provided a brief description of a handful of well known habitat surveys below:
Our team are able to undertake a bat survey any time evidence suggests that a bat or bat roost is on your proposed development site.
Services include the Preliminary Roost Assessment (PRA), the Bat Presence/Absence or Bat Emergence and Re-Entry Survey (BERS), and the Bat Roost Characterisation Survey.
We can also step in to advise developers on applying for a European Protected Species Mitigation Licence (EPSL) and offer best practice guidance in the form of site supervision.
Managing every stage in the process, we can take full ownership of your planning proposal if a great crested newt could be present.
Starting with a GCN Preliminary Habitat Assessment to a GCN Presence/Absence Survey, we will remain involved throughout to guarantee consistency and reliability.
If a European Protected Species Mitigation Licence (EPSML) is needed to relocate the great crested newt, we can support your application, as well as any site supervision work.
You may find a badger or badger sett in any rural area, and due to this, Midland Ecology can conduct every stage in the badger survey process.
A Badger Preliminary Scoping Assessment may be sufficient. but if further details about the badger occupancy are needed, we can continue with Badger Activity Surveys.
Whatever badger surveys you need, we can help, and that even extends to helping with applications for a European Protected Species Mitigation Licence (EPSML) or site supervision exercises.
Particular species of reptiles in the country include adders, lizards, snakes and turtles.
Via seven checks of artificial refugia placed by the ecological surveyor, reptile surveys are centred around monitoring certain areas for the occupancy of various species of reptile.
Setting up a reptile survey takes around two weeks followed by several weeks of regular check-ups, and a method statement and site supervision can be used to provide further information.
Birds
Bird surveys for common wild birds include:
Breeding Bird Survey – Over three to four separate occasions during the summer, an ecologist will inspect the survey area, identifying the occupancy and species of present birds. The territories of breeding birds will then be mapped out, helping to understand bird population sizes and determine if human activities across the entirety of the planning process could harm them.Â
Wintering Bird Survey – Over three to four separate occasions during the winter, an ecologist will inspect the survey area, identifying the occupancy and species of present birds. The flocks of wintering migrant birds will then be mapped out, helping to understand migratory bird populations, work out how they may be affected by the development, and create steps to minimise each adverse impact.
Nesting Bird Check: Conducted within the 24-hour period before development works commence, an ecologist will inspect the survey area to confirm or deny if nesting birds are present in the chosen area. Results from the check can then lead to appropriate mitigation measures, allowing the works to go ahead as planned with changes to guarantee the safety of otherwise affected birds.
Dormice
Inspections of hedgerows and/or lines of trees are necessary to evaluate a site for populations of dormice.
Alongside gauging whether any are present, a dormice survey will be used to work out if the development site could support the species. If there is any potential for dormice to inhabit the site, further surveys taking several months will be arranged to establish their absence or presence.
Confirmed dormice will then lead us to devising a detailed method statement for avoiding or minimising the impact of the development on native species and provide site supervision to ensure the instructions are followed correctly.
Freshwater White-Clawed Crayfish
For freshwater white-clawed crayfish and other cases of similar species, an Environmental DNA (eDNA) would be suitable for working out if the species in question is residing within a waterbody, such as rivers, streams or coral reefs.
Specialist lab DNA analysis will be carried out to calculate if white-clawed crayfish are likely to inhabit the body of water. The process is faster, cheaper, less invasive for the animals affected and more readily available throughout the year.
That said, although samples can be collected at any time, the optimum period occurs between mid-April and late-October. Results of an eDNA may lead to phase two surveys as supporting evidence in a European Protected Species Mitigation Licence application.
Otters
In exceptional circumstances, development sites could have the ability to house otters, with conservation actions needed to prevent harm triggered by planning works.
Watercourses across the site will be inspected, searching for evidence of otters. Observations of principal importance include potential food resources and habitat requirements, and the suspected or proven status of otters in the area. At this point, the ecological consultant may need to perform multiple visits.
Once otters are proven to be in the vicinity, a detailed method statement can be produced and site supervision can be planned to monitor any advised changes to the development.
Water Voles
Pond banks and waterways could be a home to native water voles, leading to the need for professional water vole surveys.
Inspecting for signs of water voles, a licensed ecologist will examine each suitable habitat on the site, noting the status of water voles in the area, potential food resources and habitat requirements, and the likely impact of the development on water vole populations.Â
A method statement may be necessary to create sufficient avoidance or minimisation measures, as well as site supervision to check that the measures are executed accordingly.
It doesn’t matter if your planning proposals are imminent or merely set for the near future, a material consideration in booking protected species surveys is ensuring that the survey season of the legally protected species in question ties in with your development schedule.
Each protected species has different constraints based on the time of year, not helped by weather conditions and the effects of climate change. To avoid delays in your schedule and issues with your local planning authority granting planning permission, we would advise referring to our survey calendar.
Protected Species Services
Protected Species Survey
Protected Species Report
Protected Species Licence
As indicated in the list of assessments above, a protected species survey required to support planning applications and other aims in a development proposal will be based around efforts to analyse a development site for evidence of the protected species and the potential impact on them caused by the planning project.
Next steps will then be produced by the ecologist based on their findings to guide the developer’s plans.
Prior to protected species surveys, broader ecological surveys may have been undertaken to gauge if any animals or plants are present, such as a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) /Â Extended Phase 1 Habitat Survey.
Immediately after every protected species survey we complete, the ecological consultant running the assessment process will assemble an ecological survey report.
If an inspection confirms that no listed species of animals or plants are on the site, the report will make that clear to the local authority and leave no reason to reject planning applications.
If an inspection cannot confirm that no listed species of animals or plants are on the site, the report will include extensive detail about the species and any overlap with the development.
It will also suggest steps to appease the planning officer and obtain planning permission.
Depending on the outcome of the protected species survey, the changes that need to be actioned and the animal or plant on the site, the developer may be required to obtain a European protected species licence.
Applications are submitted to Natural England, and as a way of ensuring that everything is in place to secure a licence for the species under special protection, our team are able to provide standing advice and directions to simplify the process.
With a protected species licence, certain potentially very high risk exercises such as relocating species with full protection or destroying habitats will be permitted by the local planning authorities.
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Plan Your Protected Species Assessment Today
Preventing unnecessary habitat loss on your development site and meeting planning obligations when it comes to listed flora and fauna is achievable by simply referring to our team for protected species surveys. If your development proposal applies to the West Midlands, we step in to enhance biodiversity, create a mitigation plan, produce data aimed at satisfying planning conditions, and evaluate potential protected species, from a preliminary roost assessment for a bat to an eDNA for a great crested newt.
Make sure that you aren’t going against the guidelines of the local authorities by reaching out to Midland Ecology and speaking to our team. If you would like a free quote for assessments over potentially endangered species on your development site, feel free to visit our contact page and complete an online quote form or call us directly using the number above. We can then propose steps that will help your planning application to the local planning authorities while defending protected species with high risk conservation status.