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Lucy Larkman

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Great Crested Newt

The District Licensing Scheme – what it means for development

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GCN – Does it always mean lengthy delays to a development?

The discovery, or even just the potential presence, of great crested newt (GCN) on a site can mean lengthy delays to a developer. 

Prior to 2018, seasonally restricted surveys had to be carried out before a planning application could even be submitted, followed by European Protected Species (EPS) Licence applications once planning permission had been obtained. Metres of plastic fencing, as pictured below, would be erected around and across the site so that weeks of trapping and translocation of GCN could be carried out, to ensure the safety of the animals present. All of this time-consuming, costly and resource-heavy work can put a project on hold for months. 

In 2018, the first NatureSpace District Level Licensing Scheme was launched (DLL), initially in the counties of Cheshire and Kent, but since then it has successfully been being rolled out throughout many counties and districts across England.

A different approach

Previously, European Protected Species (EPS) licences were granted to protect GCN at the site level, endeavouring to preserve each and every population of GCN, indeed each and every newt, wherever they are discovered at a site. 

The DLL takes a different approach to protecting this iconic species: the aim is conservation on a landscape-scale which means preservation and improvement of the habitat, as well as creation of new habitat in optimal condition for newts, and therefore conservation of GCN populations at a district level. 

Put simply, it doesn’t matter if a population of GCN is impacted by a development, so long as elsewhere in the district, habitat is being created or enhanced; a loss in one area is compensated by a greater gain somewhere else. 

This is an important change in the principle of GCN conservation as it recognises the importance of connectivity to other ponds and terrestrial habitats in the local area, which GCN need to thrive as part of a meta-population. 

In the past, an onsite pond may have been retained yet provide poor connectivity to offsite habitat to access other breeding ponds where populations might mix: The onsite GCN population would have therefore been vulnerable to local extinction events.

Great Crested Newt
GCN in gloved hands Severalls

The Process

Following the decision to develop a site, a qualified ecologist is employed to carry out a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal of the site to highlight ecological constraints and opportunities. If this includes the potential for GCN to be present within the site, then other preliminary assessments are required such as a Habitat Suitability Index calculation of onsite and offsite ponds, or to take samples for environmental DNA testing from ponds onsite or in the vicinity. 

If the DLL Scheme is available in the district and the developer chooses to take advantage of this streamlined licensing process, then even these preliminary assessments are not always necessary. The DLL can be entered into during the planning process or once planning has been approved. 

Application to join the DLL scheme can be made to the relevant authority which could be Natural England, the local council or an independent body such as NatureSpace depending on where the site is located. The application requires only the number of ponds within the site boundary and those found within 500m of the site for the NatureSpace DLL and 250m for Natural England DLL, and whether the site lies in a red, amber or green zone designated for the likelihood of GCN presence. No further information regarding GCN at the site is required.

Pond
Severalls pond

Calculation, compensation and costs 

As part of the application to join a DLL scheme, a calculation is made as to how many ponds have to be created to compensate the losses caused by the development. This calculation is based on the location of the site, how many ponds are onsite or within the 500m buffer, and whether any survey work has indicated the presence of GCN. 

If the site is particularly favourable for GCN, such as if the site is situated in a red designated zone for GCN, or there is a known breeding pond onsite, then it may be necessary to do some further survey work. The developer then pays for compensation ponds to be created elsewhere. The payment not only includes the creation of the pond, but also its upkeep and monitoring for 25 years. 

The development is then free to go ahead usually without any need for onsite mitigation. Even if GCN are found onsite during the works, the DLL covers the license holder, subject to weather conditions, to move them and place them somewhere out of danger without having to stop work. In addition, there is no time restriction on the application, the DLL process can be carried out at any time of year as long as there is no possibility of hibernating GCN being impacted by the works. 

Even if the preliminary survey indicates that GCN are unlikely to be present onsite as there are no breeding ponds present or records are further away from site, it may be advantageous for a developer to join the DLL scheme as the unexpected discovery of a GCN onsite could mean lengthy delays. 

If the site is registered under the DLL scheme, then such a discovery will cause no delays to the development. Joining the DLL scheme can be costly, however, so it is advantageous to involve an ecologist early on in the project to help with the assessment of whether a DLL would be beneficial.  

new ponds Severalls

How Wildwood can help

Wildwood Ecology have a team of licensed and experienced ecologists who are able to offer the full service from initial preliminary site surveys and desk studies, right through to gaining acceptance on the relevant DLL scheme.

We assist you through the whole process; from advice on whether your site qualifies to join a scheme, carry out the necessary calculations on compensation requirements, apply for the site to join the DLL scheme and fulfil any required work supervision or monitoring.  

Get in touch if you would like to discuss your project and how the DLL scheme may help you.

David Withington, Consultant Ecologist

We go beyond 1200 x 628

Wildwood Go Beyond – our B Corp journey

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Beyond compliance

Wildwood Ecology understands its responsibility to both society and the environment, which goes beyond just compliance.

We believe that the protection of the natural environment is vital to the wellbeing and survival of us all.  Our actions and advice in developing the built environment must seek to halt and restore biodiversity loss, address our own impacts on human induced climate change and help create a better planet for the benefit of future generations.

As such, we are committed to raising our social responsibility and environmental impacts to our employees, clients, suppliers, and collaborators. That’s why we became a proud member of the B Corp community in July 2019, and we’re already proving that by working with others, we can have a big influence and help to shape the global economy for the better. And in 2022 we successfully re-certified (more on that later).

Our B Corp update

It’s worth knowing that every time you buy a product or service from a B Corp, you’re taking a small step towards a better world for all.

To become a certified B Corp, businesses are required to complete a survey called the Business Impact Assessment – or BIA. It’s not just any survey, it’s one of the most comprehensive and challenging tools out there for assessing the real social and environmental impact of a business.

The BIA is operated by the independent non-profit B Lab. It allows businesses to measure the impact their business is having on the Environment, their Workers and the Community, as well as looking at their Governance structure. Businesses must meet a minimum of 80 points out of 200 to certify, as well as making a legal change to their business to place impact on people and planet on the same level as profit.

Our score when we first certified back in 2019 was 80.6 points. We scraped in by the skin of our teeth, so we knew we had a lot to do to make any real impact. We were proud and delighted to complete our first re-certification in 2022 and have improved our score to 84.0 points.

We know and appreciate that people want to work for companies and organisations that stand for something beyond just making money. Again and again, we see brilliant people wanting to join our team and stay with us, because they believe in our vision and share our values.

Go beyond sustainability
2018-B-Corp-Logo-Black-S

Science based targets

The Paris Agreement commits the world to a global temperature increase of less than 1.5°C. To meet this target and avoid the worst effects of climate change, global greenhouse gas emissions must be cut in half by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.

Our company joined a growing group of leading companies in 2019 that are setting emissions reduction targets in line with what climate science says is necessary. By doing so, we recognise the crucial part our business can play in minimising the risk climate change poses to the future of our planet.

Wildwood Ecology commits to reduce absolute scope 1 and scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2025 from a 2021 base year and 100% by 2030. The targets covering greenhouse gas emissions from company operations (scopes 1 and 2) are consistent with reductions required to keep warming to 1.5°C.

However, like many companies, suppliers account for a large share of value chain emissions (Scope 3 emissions). By engaging and inspiring suppliers to reduce emissions, we will have a positive impact on our own company operations carbon footprint as well.

Our 2021 baseline has been calculated[1]  and, in that year, we emitted a whopping 18.76 tonnes of CO2e. This breaks down as follows:

  • Scope 1 – Direct Emissions: 4.90 tonnes of CO2e
  • Scope 2 – Indirect Emissions: 0.95 tonnes of CO2e
  • Scope 3 – Other indirect Emissions: 12.89 tonnes of CO2e

Based on the calculation of our full emissions (scopes 1-3) we off-set 20 tonnes[2] and by doing so we are currently operating as a carbon net-negative company (-1.24 tonnes). This includes offsetting all our customers carbon we used to travel to their sites and complete their surveys.

We look too at small changes we can adopt; using fellow B Corp companies and products, such as easily repairable Fairphones, the Honest mobile phone tariff; changing our website from a ‘dirty’ site producing 7.59g of CO2 per visit to 1.17g (websitecarbon.com), which runs on sustainable energy with green host provider, Cloudflare; and using an ethical employee pension scheme (Nest). Collectively, these small changes make a big difference.

[1] Calculated by OurCarbon: https://profile.ourcarbon.com/wildwood with a weighting certainty score of 3.27 out of 5 (this a combination of evidence provided and the calculation tool OurCarbon uses to calculate the certainty, with 5 being highly certain, and then a sliding scale downwards).

[2] We use ecologi to offset our carbon emissions: https://ecologi.com/wildwoodecology

Priorities for 2023 – People. Planet. Purpose

IS - Wellbeing day March 2023

People

We value our people and continue to seek ways to support them and help them to grow. We have recently introduced wellbeing days for all our employees. Under this initiative, everyone is entitled to one paid day per quarter allowed to engage in wellbeing activity, either individually or as a part of the Wildwood team. 

Similarly, we will also be introducing one paid day per quarter allowed for individual volunteering with a national charity or not-for-profit community group.

Planet

We will continue to use our baseline carbon emission analysis report to focus on reducing our overall emissions and improving how we track them too. There may be elements we may have not fully accounted for and if we work hard on identifying these obscure emissions then we can do something positive about them.

Being a service provider requiring us to visit sites to provide assessments, our focus will be on reducing our travel emissions. We shall first examine if we need to make the journey and if required then seeking lower carbon means which will include smarter use of existing vehicles or identification of alternative transportation options, including public transport where feasible to do so.

Stroud team

Purpose

We will also work on our procurement of equipment and clothing used as part of delivering our services. We are large consumers of various forms of technology, both within the office environment and out on site delivering our services. We will be looking at how we communicate including our use of email traffic, social media usage, our websites and of course how we deliver our reporting services to our clients. As a starting point we will develop a carbon emissions value to our report that will be clearly labelled on the front of our reports and communicate what this means not only to our clients, but across our industry. We are excited about working this out and collaborating with others on how to improve.

Feedback

Have we missed anything out or feel we have not explained something very well, or do you think we have painted too rosy a picture on what we do and consider we’re hiding something? We want to know – we don’t just want this report to showcase the good bits and mask the not so good bits we are doing (or don’t do).

So, tell us about them so we can become even more transparent in our undertakings and help us all to work to create a better business and a force for good.

Richard Dodd, Managing Director

bat found on development

Bats and the Planning System

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Here at Wildwood Ecology, we are very lucky to have a wide variety of clients, ranging from large firms to individual homeowners, allowing us to work on a range of projects and to provide ecological assistance to many different kinds of people. Although often our clients are happy to work with us, there is a distinct elephant in the room when we meet many of our clients for the first time: most of those who seek the services of an ecological consultant do so in order to meet the necessary requirements for planning approval or list building assessment.

First steps in planning

Often, when seeking planning permission or listed building consent (LBC) for a development on an existing building, you will be asked to seek a bat survey of the building prior to the consent being given. This leads many to believe that they only need to get a single survey done and then they’re good to go. Sadly, this is rarely the case. 

When we first turn up to a job, the first survey we will undertake is known as a Preliminary Roost Assessment (PRA), this is essentially a scoping survey to determine the condition of the building, whether any bats are present and the building’s suitability for use by bats. The building’s suitability for bats is often what catches people out, as a building can have no bats in it and no evidence of use by bats (such as bat droppings), however it can still have suitability for use by bats.

Suitability for bats

The suitability of the building for use by bats is determined by looking at the possibility that bats can access the building (e.g. gaps in the roof, under the eaves, slipped tiles) as well as any suitable roosting features within the building (e.g. timber beams). Even a small number of these features can mean that the building has at least low suitability for use by bats.

As you can imagine, sometimes use by bats can be a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, if a building is old and needs redevelopment, it’s going to be much more likely to be full of holes than a new build. It is rare that buildings are considered negligible (no evidence of bats or features suitable for supporting bats) as bats find their way into the smallest of gaps, for example the crack beneath the guttering on this house. 

MicrosoftTeams-image

Surveys to satisfy planning

What this means is that, in order to confirm use by bats, dusk or dawn bat surveys will be needed. These surveys can only be conducted in the active season for bats (May – August) and can require multiple surveys in order to confirm absence (up to 3 surveys for buildings with high suitability). 

What this means for the client is that, what they initially thought was a single daytime inspection for bats has turned into multiple night time surveys by multiple surveyors! In my experience, when I come to deliver this news it is rarely greeted with cheers, however these surveys are required in order to satisfy planning. 

It is importance to note that LPAs should not condition these surveys, as the outcome of the bat surveys could result in changes to the final development plans being necessary (for example, if a bat loft is needed that wasn’t included on previous plans). Therefore, these surveys have to be completed before planning will be granted. As the surveys are seasonal, depending on the time of year that you contact an ecological consultancy for a bat survey, unfortunately you may need to wait months before you can complete the surveys you need for planning. 

This highlights the importance of contacting an ecological consultant at an early stage if you think bats may be present within your development site, as waiting until a bat survey is requested could mean having to wait several months before the surveys can be completed.

Bat Licences

Once all of the bat surveys are complete and planning has been approved, there is more to do, as if bats are present within the building, a bat licence from Natural England is likely to be required in order to undertake the works legally. 

This licence requires planning permission (or similar) to be in place for the works, so it can only be applied for once planning has been achieved. The licence will require an ecological consultant to produce an application form, method statement, works schedule and licence figures to be submitted to Natural England. 

Depending on what bats are present, it may be necessary to commit to putting up bat boxes, using bat access tiles in the roof, set aside a loft space for bats to use, or even create a purpose-built new bat loft in some cases. 

Once the licence is complete, supervision of the works by an ecological consultant is likely to be necessary to ensure that bats aren’t killed or injured.

Wildwood Ecology
Ecology and Planning Flowchart

How to make this process as easy as possible? 

  1. Consider ecology as early on in the development process as you can. Ecological surveys can require long waiting periods if you are forced to wait for the correct season to conduct surveys, so getting these surveys done ahead of time, can save you waiting later on. It is important to note that ecological surveys do have an expiry date, typically only being valid for a maximum of 18 months.
  2. Understand that planning is the only tool that local government has in order to ensure that legislation protecting bats is being followed. This is one of the reasons why planning is often not granted until after protected species surveys are complete. Enforcing legislation and checking that it’s being followed is expensive and time consuming, so the LPA will want to make sure that these protected species requirements are complete prior to giving approval.
  3. Accommodate protected species requirements within your expected costs and timings. As the LPA will first only request an initial PRA survey, many clients expect that costs will be limited. However, as shown above the process can end up being protracted and may require multiple surveys and reports in some cases.

A final word – plan ahead!

At the start of the process, it can be difficult to determine the level of survey effort required at a particular site. Often the LPA will only request a ‘bat survey’ when responding to planning requests and will not elaborate further. 

However, that single bat survey can often lead to a much to a more in-depth process of surveys, reporting and licensing, with seasonal timing constraints and potential changes to the development design, in order to ensure a successful planning application. There may even be lighting considerations that require you to take into account how light spill across your development will impact upon roosting bats after the development is complete, along with other planning conditions. 

This can all become overwhelming and the best way to mitigate for this is to involve ecologists at an early stage of your development design, plan ahead so that you can plan around any potential issues before they arise.

Peter Hacker, Senior Ecologist

wildwood-ecology-welsh-team

Volunteering in ecology – is it worth it?

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It’s widely known that volunteering in ecology is desirable or expected, ahead of securing a first position within an ecological consultancy. As a student who spent a month last Summer volunteering with Wildwood Ecology, I wanted so share my experience, to perhaps encourage other undergraduates or A level students to consider investing time volunteering in areas of personal interest.

Introduction

I’m a final year BSc Biological Sciences student who is fast approaching that stage in life where I need to make some dramatic career decisions, so I decided to volunteer in various biology-related roles to better understand different lines of work. Volunteering with Wildwood has helped me to acquire the basics of ecological consultancy, and I now have a much better understanding of its pros and cons. I’ll go into much more detail about my experience below, but first I want to say thanks to everyone at Wildwood Ecology. The entire team were incredibly welcoming and friendly, which helped me to immediately settle into the role, despite being well out of my depth! Thank you all (especially Sofie, Laoise and Peter) for putting up with me and my questions! I’ll divide this post into the following sections, so feel free to jump directly to anything that seems relevant.

1.       Why should you spend time volunteering?

2.       Finding work experience

3.       Pros and cons of working in ecological consultancy

4.       My experience working with Wildwood

5.       Future plans and final thoughts

Why should you spend time volunteering?

This sounds obvious, because it is obvious. Volunteering is a great way to discover what its like to work in different fields and, in my experience, it can be very different from what you’d expect. I’ve worked in research, land management, event support and consultancy roles, which have strongly influenced the modules I’ve chosen in my university course. Volunteering has also helped me to develop a broad variety of those all-important ‘transferrable skills’. However, it is worth noting that volunteering in more consistent roles is a great way to convince a potential employer that you’re committed to a particular career path, or have developed specific skills to a greater extent.

For me personally, volunteering has been especially important for other reasons, and I’ll share an anecdote to demonstrate them. Aged 17, I was convinced I’d be working as a genetics researcher post-graduation but, after spending 8 weeks of my last summer bored and frustrated in a research lab, I realised that this career path was not for me. Without this placement, I might’ve made this discovery after undertaking a Master’s research project, or after committing to long-term work in a lab. Instead, through other roles, I’ve realised that I’m more effective in a dynamic workplace, and especially enjoy working outdoors. Volunteering has dramatically changed my future career plans for the better, and could lead to similar changes in yours as well!

As a side note, I don’t regret my time spent in the lab. This experience impacted my life in other meaningful ways (e.g it indirectly led to my ADHD diagnosis), and I learned lessons that will last a lifetime. You learn more from volunteering than just how to do a job. Volunteering is an experience, and experiences can impact you in ways you would never expect!

Finding work experience

Finding work experience roles can be challenging, but it’s far from impossible. I’ll describe the process I adopted, but keep in mind that different companies operate differently and there isn’t one perfect strategy to follow when trying to secure a role.

After my surprising experience in the lab, I became determined to find a different career path to trial in the summer of my 2nd year. I was aware of ecological consultancy thanks to two 2nd year ecology modules, although I knew very little about what the job entailed. Using google maps, I discovered that there are many firms close to where I live and I began to investigate them further. I analysed their websites, ranked them, and reached out to the top options via email, stating my name, interest in volunteering and availability. Within a couple of days, Wildwood (my first choice) responded and, following a few quick and informative emails, I had a volunteer position lined up for the summer. I wish it was always this easy!

Welcome to Wildwood

I don’t know for sure what made Wildwood’s team decide to accept me, but I’ve found that showing initiative, and being polite but confident is a great approach when trying to secure a role. 

Don’t be afraid to contact a company that isn’t advertising roles, but don’t pour all your energy and time into just one company either. There are plenty more tips online for how to find work-experience, which might be worth your research.

Wildwood’s head office just outside Stroud pictured here boasts an idyllic location, totally befitting an ecological consultancy.

Stroud office offering volunteering in ecology

Pros and cons of working in ecological consultancy

What exactly do ecological consultants do? In brief, ecological consultants are hired by clients to determine how a development project will impact wildlife, with a focus on species and habitats that are protected by legislation. Consultants gather data from ecological surveys and the results are collated in reports, along with advice and recommendations on how to mitigate the negative impacts on wildlife. These reports are then submitted within the planning application, to demonstrate that any negative impact will be mitigated, and that wildlife legislation will be adhered to. 

Pros 

·       Dynamic job with both outdoors and office elements;

·       Work directly benefits biodiversity and conservation; and

·       Passionate teams who care about the work they do (at least at Wildwood).

Cons 

·       Sometimes too dynamic – occasional extremely early mornings or late nights;

·       Subjective results, so lots of experience and training is required for consistency; and

·       Consultants often act as the bearer of bad news. 

Challenges

It seems that ecological consultancy can be split into two parts, an office and outdoor factor, which combine together into one very dynamic job. However, this job also has a unique set of challenges, which help to keep things interesting.

Throughout the year, scheduling is affected by survey seasons which limit when different activities can take place. This generates busy and quiet periods, which can make it difficult for part-time or temporary ecologists to find reliable work. Work hours are also variable within the week. Many tasks, such as report writing, can be completed in the usual 9-5 hours in-office, or at home, but on-site surveys, such as dusk bat emergence surveys (limited to 3 per person, per week, at Wildwood) disrupt this consistency. I love this day-to-day variability, but I’d imagine that others could find the erratic hours to be difficult.

sunset volunteering in ecology

The job also involves a lot of local travelling. Wildwood accepts contracts for sites up to 1.5 hours away from the office, although where team-members live is considered when allocating survey work. Surveys can feel like a treasure hunt or can be rather mind-numbing. I’ve seen some beautiful Cotswold buildings and stunning sunsets, but also heard stories of angry landowners, bad-weather surprises and other issues that make surveys much less enjoyable. Even the core aspects of the job can bring surprises – I’ve learned what to expect when surveying but also how keen bats (and other species, but especially bats) are on invalidating those expectations. 

My experience working with Wildwood

Wildwood’s team enabled me to try out many aspects of ecological consultancy work, providing a holistic view of what the job entails. The most memorable and frequent surveys were the bat dusk emergence surveys, where consultants monitor a site for bat activity. As well as directly looking for bats emerging from a building or tree, consultants also record bat echolocation, such as foraging and commuting calls, to better understand how changes to a site would impact the local bat population. Specialist recording equipment, such as Bat Loggers (and various other tools) are used to amplify bat calls, and the frequency or noise pattern can be used to identify the species and its activity. Certain calls are much harder to recognise than others. As the name suggests, these surveys always take place around sunset, but a sunrise version can also be carried out, though it seems, unsurprisingly, that very few consultants enjoy the early morning hours.

PEAs, PRAs, BNG, QGIS & reports

I also took part in other surveys, such as Preliminary Ecological Appraisals (PEAs) to record habitats, and  Preliminary Roost Assessments (PRAs) for bats, which took place at more sociable hours. PRAs are used to assess  the suitability of a site, building, or tree, for roosting bats and are used to determine if emergence surveys are required before a report can be compiled. PEAs assess other ecological features such as protected or priority habitats, and the site’s suitability for other protected species features, giving a broad overview on a sites potential to support notable wildlife. Many developments are required to improve biodiversity, rather than just maintain it, which means biodiversity net gain (BNG) needs to be calculated. I learnt how this is done using the habitats mapped during a PEA, along with the development plans provided by the client. I quickly came to appreciate how important survey identification skills are – a skilled consultant can recognise most common plant species at a glance, whilst I was struggling to identify them using an identification key. A small PEA would’ve taken me hours to complete, but was finished by the team in far less time! Many other survey types exist, but all are restricted by survey seasons, and I joined Wildwood too late in the 2022 season to experience the full range.

Compiling reports is much more of an office based job, and digital tools are used to ensure that reports are of high standard. For example, I learned to use QGIS software to make and edit site maps, which I’ve already found useful for my university lab reports. Wildwood’s team also use Office 365, as they frequently share both data and reports with one another, so that multiple people can suggest improvements or raise ideas, which I suspect has really helped newer team members to develop and improve their report-writing skills. Other office work includes call analysis, where recorded bat calls are visually mapped to help with identification, and other more commonplace practises. Before joining Wildwood, I had no idea how much work went into a professional report, though I was pleased to see a resemblance between Wildwood’s reports and those I had been writing for my biology degree. 

Future plans and final thoughts

My time with Wildwood has shown me what ecological consultancy has to offer and given me a sense of how I would perform in this line of work. I loved many aspects of the job and enjoyed this experience more than any other work-experience role to date. This has given me a lot to think about when considering my future plans and goals. I can definitely see myself choosing ecological consultancy as a long-term career after my BSc degree (or after a Masters), although I do plan on undertaking other experience roles in the meantime.

So, to summarise, volunteering is great for trialling jobs before committing to career paths and helps you to develop in other important ways. All volunteering takes is a little bit of confidence and time, which isn’t a lot, considering the breadth and depth of rewards that can come from the experience. I really enjoyed my time with the Wildwood team, and they’ve shown me that I’d be well-suited to a career in ecological consultancy. I’ve picked up the basics of this job and will be able to make more informed decisions about my career choices in the fast-approaching future.

I would strongly recommend spending some time volunteering with groups or companies such as Wildwood, in whatever area is relevant to you. When taken seriously, the benefits of volunteering far-outweigh the costs. 

Thanks for reading and I hope you’ve found this post useful. I’ll end with one final thank you to everyone at Wildwood Ecology for helping me to learn so much in such a short space of time. It’s been a month very well spent and I hope our paths cross again in the future.

Miles Watkins

Pond

Ponds: a quick win for biodiversity

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Biodiversity and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is undoubtedly a hot topic high on everyone’s agenda for 2023. Whilst some local authorities are already planning and delivering BNG, all are now gearing up to implement the mandatory 10% net gain that developers and landowners will be required to deliver across their projects, becoming effective in November 2023. But it’s not just developers and estate owners who are considering their biodiversity responsibilities – householders and communities too can make a real difference to habitat creation and addressing the impacts of climate change.  

Increasing biodiversity

When it comes to increasing biodiversity, planting trees is the obvious solution and does, of course, have great environmental benefit. Trees provide habitats for a multitude of organisms and, from some of our largest species down to the smallest, are an important food source for countless species and provide a foothold for often overlooked epiphytes like mosses and lichens. Trees and woodlands are often the ‘go to’ option when habitat creation, biodiversity improvement or rewilding is considered for an area, and indeed it is likely that much of post glacial Britain was covered by woodland – the so-called wildwood (do you see what I did there?).

But there is an unfortunate problem with woodland habitat creation: it takes years, even decades, before a newly planted woodland reaches maturity and becomes that desired biodiverse habitat. This is often reflected in biodiversity net gain calculations where woodland creation, because of this long maturity, has a lower habitat creation ‘score’ than other, quicker maturing, habitats. Therefore, a larger area of planting may be required to achieve the necessary biodiversity net gain.

pond

Dig a pond

So how do we create a habitat that is quick to mature and provides an environment that has similar potential for biodiversity? 

The answer is dig a pond. A well planned and well-located pond can be quick to mature and will provide habitat for a wide variety of organisms.  Unlike a woodland (at least in its early stages), a pond requires very little maintenance in order to thrive.

No fish

A wildlife pond requires a different approach to an ornamental fish pond. Firstly, NO FISH. Unless you are planning a very large pond where a small number of native species may be possible, any introduced fish will soon clear the pond of invertebrates. No invertebrates will mean larger animals such as frog, toad and newt tadpoles will have no food source. The presence of fish can seriously deplete the potential for a wildlife pond. 

Pond

Access for wildlife

It is important that wildlife can get in and out of the pond. A steep sided pond made of concrete or plastic will mean any animals getting into the pond will be unable to leave, including those that didn’t mean to enter. This means that poorly designed ponds can be a death trap to small mammals and reptiles. Design your pond with at least some gentle slopes, well positioned cobbles and branches can also be very useful additions. 

Size doesn’t matter

The size doesn’t really matter, any standing water will attract wildlife, it may even be more beneficial to create a series of smaller ponds than one large one. Try to create a series of water depths, an area that is over 0.5m deep will allow over wintering animals the chance to survive the cold – ponds that are too shallow may freeze completely and so kill all hibernating animals.

Pond
Pond

Location

Location is important for a pond to flourish. It should receive as much sun as possible, a permanently shaded pond may not be successful. Also, if it is overshadowed by branches then it is likely to quickly fill with leaves which will seriously inhibit the life in the pond as the decomposition process removes oxygen from the water. Too much sun isn’t a problem as long as the pond isn’t in danger of drying completely for long periods. Occasional drying out isn’t a problem and may even be advantageous to some species.

Native plants

Animals will come to your pond, but plants won’t, at least not in short term. Use native plants where possible and research the best ones for the size of your pond; ponds can become swamped by a vigorous plant. Resist the temptation to put in a large lily in a small pond, the leaves will quickly cover the pond and shut out light. Marsh marigold, flowering rush, water plantain and purple loosestrife will provide a beautiful display of flowers throughout the spring and summer. Make sure that you only use low nutrient substrate to plant into, otherwise your pond will quickly turn into a green soup, due to rapid algal growth.  

Maintenance

In the early years, a pond may need a little maintenance as the water nutrient balance becomes established. Allow the chance for the pond to become stabilised before rushing into remedial action and resist the temptation to use any kind of chemical control – trust in nature. If a plant becomes too vigorous or filamentous algae starts to take over, then some removal may be required. Do this in autumn before animals start to hibernate and leave the removed material on the side of the pond for a day or two to allow any removed fauna the chance to get back into the pond. 

Wildwood’s pond projects

Wildwood Ecology has a proven record of designing and overseeing the creation of ponds. Projects have included the creation of successful compensation ponds as part of great crested newt district licence schemes and providing advice for pond creation as part of a site-wide management plan. 

Get in touch if you are planning pond creation projects or to discuss how ponds can help you to meet the biodiversity net gain requirements for your project.

David Withington – Consultant Ecologist

LET'S TALK PONDS

Little Egret

Climate change: the Egrets are not alone

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About 25 years ago I was visiting the seal sanctuary at Gweek in Cornwall. The sanctuary looks over the Helford River which at the time was very muddy, the water was low as it was in August, with mature over-hanging trees, a Greenshank, one of my favourite birds, was keeping me entertained.

But the Greenshank isn’t the reason why that day sticks firmly in my memory. Through my binoculars, a bright white blob suddenly appeared, obviously a wading bird with its long legs which, when it lifted them out of the mud, ended in rather comical looking bright yellow feet. I had to look at the lesser thumbed pages of my Collins Bird Guide to discover that it was a Little Egret. I assumed that such an exotic looking bird was an escapee from someone’s collection, but a little research later in the day said that this was a wild bird, already reported to the local bird group.

25 years later

Fast forward 25 years and it is not unusual to see a Little Egret standing motionless on the banks of the pond in my local park. Go to any area of water; rivers, canals, lakes, large ponds, and there is a good chance that you will come across this bird, still as beautiful as that day in Gweek, but no longer creating quite the same amount of excitement.

The history of Little Egrets in Britain is quite a remarkable one.  Up until the late 1980s it was very much a vagrant bird with around 15 sightings a year usually in spring. Since then things have changed dramatically, starting with an autumn invasion of around 40 birds in 1989, with numbers increasing annually resulting in the first breeding pair in Dorset in 1996. Today’s figures, according to the BTO, are somewhere in the region of 11,000 nesting pairs with even more joining them over winter in the UK. And they are not alone, the closely related Great Egret (once quite a rare bird throughout Europe) and Cattle Egret are coming to the UK in ever increasing numbers.

The Egrets are not alone

So do you have to be a spectacularly feathered bird, like the Egrets, to enjoy this influx into the UK? Well no. If you put out seed in your garden, there is a good chance of a little grey bird with a black or brown cap visiting during the winter months, the only sometimes aptly named, Blackcap. This is a warbler and like most of our warblers they used to migrate to warmer climes in the winter. But more and more of our Blackcaps are choosing to winter in the UK, indeed some migrate here to spend the winter in our gardens. This is also true for a warbler, this time wholly aptly named, the Chiffchaff. Although still very rare, that most famous of migratory birds, the swallow has been seen to overwinter in South Wales and Cornwall and other migratory species such as the whitethroat and garden warbler are delaying their departure until later and later in the year.

So what’s driving these changes? The ‘knee-jerk’ response is climate change and that is most probably a major factor when it comes to the Egrets and the timing of departure of the migrating birds. But the picture, as always, is probably more complex than a single factor. It seems that when it comes to the Blackcap, for instance, an increase in the number of us putting out seed in our gardens is a major contributor to the numbers overwintering in the UK.

A note of caution

But there is a note of caution for any bird species eyeing these islands as a winter destination. The Collared Dove first came here to breed in 1955, having spent the previous 20 years spreading northward from its middle eastern homeland. It quickly increased in number to become one of our commonest species. However, in England at least, their numbers have been dropping quite dramatically in the last 15 years or so, again the reasons for this are not clear.

So it seems there are winners, if indeed some of these distribution changes are due to climate change, but the predicted devastating impacts of climate change will mean that there are likely to be many more losers.  For every, once exotic, species that has benefited from recent environmental changes such as the Little Egret, there are many, already resident, species that are beginning to suffer catastrophic population declines.

David Withington – Consultant Ecologist 

bat in hand

Bats – Why Wildwood are so big on bats

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Bats across the world are a vital part of the ecosystems in which they live, however they face decline due to various threats. As we plough through the busiest bat survey season on record, we reflect on just why bats are so important and what actions are being done to help conserve them.

What is a bat?

Bats are the only true flying mammals in the world. They are part of the order Chiroptera which translates as “hand wing”, meaning they have a membranous wing stretched between their five fingers. Most bat species use echolocation to navigate (similar to cetaceans). They are classified into two sub orders: mega-chiroptera and micro-chiroptera.
The bats in the United Kingdom are part of the Micro-chiroptera sub-order. Bats make up roughly a quarter of all mammals in Britain. There are 17 species of bats that breed in the UK, with one rare migratory species also present, the greater-mouse eared bat.
The numbers of bats in the UK and across Europe have fallen dramatically over the last century. Our most common bat, the common pipistrelle, declined by 70% between 1978 and 1993. This decline is of great concern, as bats fill many important ecological roles.

long earred bat
bat on hand

Why are bats important?

Bats play a critical role within their ecosystems. They are predators to insects, and are therefore important in reducing populations of pest species. It has been estimated that one bat can eat up to a thousand insects per night! Some bats act as pollinators and seed dispersal agents, these are predominantly fruit and nectar eating species. Bats have an important role in soil fertilisation, their guano is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus.

Habitat use

Bats are mobile species which use a wide range of habitats including farmland, grassland, hedgerows, wetlands, woodlands and urban areas. Their habitats are used for key behaviours including foraging, commuting and roosting. Every species has a preference towards certain habitats. A Daubenton’s bat for example, prefers freshwater such as lakes.

Woodlands and hedgerows are particularly important habitats for bats, they provide essential foraging and roosting opportunities. Oak and ash trees are important for Bechstein’s bat, they frequently roost in old woodpecker holes. Lesser horseshoe bats rarely roost in woodlands but commonly forage within them. A species with a preference for foraging in deciduous woodland is the brown long-eared bat. They glean their prey from bark and leaves. This means that they use their large ears to detect their prey and then take them off of a solid surface, rather than capturing them in mid-flight. This species is found roosting in trees close to the ground.

What are bats threatened by?

Alteration of Habitat – Bats have been impacted massively by humans in recent years. The detrimental activities include: urbanisation, drainage of marshes, felling of trees and canalisation of rivers. Intensive agriculture is a huge problem. All of these things impact upon insect populations, which are bats only food source. It has been found that serotines, Leisler’s, greater horseshoe and lesser horseshoe bats avoid arable fields with monocultures of vegetable crops. Additionally, pesticides significantly reduce insect prey abundance.

Climate Change – It is predicted that global temperatures will increase and more extreme weather events will occur in the future, which will impact bats greatly as they are warm-blooded mammals. In the winter bats must have a low constant temperature in order to survive. Unless bats adapt or migrate to find more suitable sites to roost, they may not survive. In Costa Rica, bats have recently been discovered at higher than normal elevations. UK bat species are likely to mirror this.
Additionally, bat species may be impacted indirectly. Many plants and bats have co-evolved symbiotic relationships; bats provide both pollination and seed-dispersal services as some species feed on the plant’s fruit and flowers. Provided that bat migration and blooming fall out of sync, both plants and pollinators are threatened. In the UK, the seasons have become less predictable, resulting in many bats leaving hibernation early during warm spells and then getting caught out when the temperature drops again.

Artificial Light – As bats are nocturnal, they are strongly affected by artificial lighting. Bat responses to light are species specific; for example, the western barbastelle common pipistrelle frequently feeds around street lights, whereas the lesser horseshoe bat which tends to forage in more confined spaces are light averse. Light makes bats more vulnerable to predators during commuting, however, it may also act as a barrier to movement. Artificial lighting also affects roosting bats, it has been seen to delay and prevent the emergence of individuals from roosts.

Renewable Energy – 100,000s of bats die each year at wind energy facilities, after collision with rotating blades of turbines. Fatalities are greatest during the autumn and nights when wind speed is low. The most vulnerable bats are those that make long distance seasonal migrations.

Photo source: WAGO Australia

Photo source: WAGO Australia

What’s Being Done to Protect Bats?

Law and Legislation

In the UK all bat species are designated under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) and Schedule 2 of the Conservation of Species and Habitat regulations (2017). It is an offence to ‘capture, kill, possess or injure a bat, damage, destroy or obstruct their breeding or resting places and/ or disturb a bat in its resting place. If caught doing any of these activities, penalties can reach £5000, and a custodial sentence for up to six months.

If a member of the public requires assistance, they should contact the Bat Conservation Trust Helpline.

Additionally, certain bat species have further legislation; some bats are Annex II species, such as horseshoe bats, which require the designation of Special Areas of Conservation. Some species are special Biodiversity Action Plan species, meaning they are threatened and require conservation action, e.g. horseshoe bats, brown-long eared, soprano pipistrelle and noctule.

Help to conserve bats

There are many ways in which people can help conserve bats. 

Placing artificial bat houses in gardens is a good place to start, it will provide roosting opportunities for bats. Planting wildflowers, creating ponds and building log piles will help to increase the abundance of insects in gardens. It is also important that artificial light is limited in gardens around dusk. Encouraging people to get involved in local bat walks and becoming a member of a local bat group is a great way to get to know local wildlife. Additionally, getting involved with citizen science such as the Bat Conservation Trust National Monitoring Programme, will help reveal trends in populations. This can be done from a garden or local area, all that is needed is to watch for wildlife for the duration of an hour.

man putting bat box on tree
logs

References

Bat Conservation International (2022) Bats and Wind Energy Accessed 04/04/22 https://www.batcon.org/our-work/research-and-scalable-solutions/wind-energy/

Bat Conservation International. Climate Change and Bats. https://www.batcon.org/article/climate-change-and-bats/ 

Bat Conservation Trust (2021) Drivers of Bat Declines.  https://www.bats.org.uk/news/2021/02/drivers-of-bat-declines>

Bat Conservation Trust (2022) Sunset Survey.  https://www.bats.org.uk/our-work/national-bat-monitoring-programme/surveys/sunset-sunrise-survey

Bat Conservation Trust (2022) National Bat Helpline.  https://www.bats.org.uk/our-work/national-bat-helpline

Bat Conservation Trust (2022) Woodland Specialists.  https://www.bats.org.uk/our-work/landscapes-for-bats/bats-and-woodland/woodland-specialists 

Browning, E., Barlow, K.E., Burns, F., Hawkings, C., Boughey, K. (2021) Drivers of European bat population change: a review reveals evidence gaps. Mammal review. 51(3)353-368.

Jennings, N. (2018) RSPB spotlight: Bats. Bloomsbury Wildlife. London.

Kunz, T.H., Braun de Torrez, E., Bauer, D., Lobova, T., Fleming, T.H. (2011) Ecosystem services provided by bats, The Year in Ecology and Conservation Biology. 1-38.

Packman, C., Zeale, M., Harris, S. & Jones, G. (2015). Management of bats in churches – a pilot, English Heritage Research Project: 6199.

 Ramírez-Fráncel et al. (2021) Bats and their vital ecosystem services: a global review. Integrative zoology. 17:2-23

WWT (2022) Bats.  https://www.wwt.org.uk/discover-wetlands/wetland-wildlife/bats/

Ellen Peel, Seasonal Assistant Ecologist

girl outdoors in sunshine

Connecting with nature – the natural remedy for good mental health

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a month dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of mental health in everyday life. The Mental Health Foundation began Mental Health Awareness Week 21 years ago, and each year a new theme is chosen – this year it’s loneliness. This week provides an opportunity for the entire UK to focus on achieving excellent mental health, and it’s now one of the most well-known awareness weeks in the UK and around the world. This blog looks at the opportunity to connect with nature and the incredible  benefit it plays on our mental health.

What’s the evidence?

Nature and the natural world around us, plays an essential role in improving our mental and emotional well-being.

Nature has surrounded us for all of human history, but sadly many of us fail to fully appreciate the natural world around us and the benefits it can bring.

A wildlife-rich environment, according to research, can boost both our physical and mental health. Simply being outside in natural light can be really beneficial to our mental health and improving our mood. 

girl beach view
Countryside

Various studies have found that different types of exposures to nature are linked to mental health benefits (Bratman et al., 2019; Berman et al., 2008), and research shows that our brains actually respond differently in natural surroundings and we become calmer.

Ways to connect with nature

Mindfulness – Try to observe your surroundings. This could be watching your favourite flowers blossom, listening to the birds in the trees, or even watching the clouds move. Simply sit with nature for a few minutes each day in whatever way is meaningful for you.

Get creative within your natural surroundings – there are many different ways to get creative with nature, this can be through wildlife photography and painting or drawing the landscape in front of you, or a bird in your garden.

Outdoor exercise – regular exercise has been shown to improve mental health, helping you relax, improving memory, promoting better sleep, and improving general mood. To get some fresh air, go for daily walks, jogs, or cycles, or even try gardening. The Wildlife Trusts have some great ideas to introduce wildlife and nature into your own garden, including how to build a pond, how to attract butterflies to your garden, how to make a hedge for wildlife, and so many more ideas to try.

During lockdown, enjoying nature helped us to escape the effects of the long months of the pandemic, and millions of the UK public turned to nature. Research carried out by the Mental Health Foundation showed that “going for walks was one of our top coping strategies and 45% reported being in green spaces had been vital for their mental health”.

The importance of nature in learning:

Forest schools are a relatively new concept in the UK. They provide an outdoor learning environment where children learn problem solving skills and explore the natural environment. Spending time within nature can actually reduce anxiety in young children (Cudworth and Lumber, 2021).

The new curriculum in Wales and its Four Core Purposes align themselves particularly well to the concept of Forest School Philosophy; particularly the concept of creating ethically informed citizens of the future and the next generation of custodians of our environment.

boy in nature

Mental health, nature and me

I am very lucky that my job allows me to get outdoors and spend time in natural environments. I have been privileged to carry out my work in a variety of different habitats and catch glimpses of the wonderful wildlife we have in Wales.

Outside my job, I like to go for long walks in the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia which really helps clear my mind, relax, whilst improving my fitness all at the same time!

One of my favourite walks in the Brecon Beacons starts at Llanthony Priory in the Vale of Ewyas, heading up Hatterall Hill from the Abbey and reaching the ridge at the top. Part of this forms Offas Dyke. Once you walk along the ridge and head down the valley, you reach Capel Y Ffin, and then take a quiet country road back to Llanthony Priory.

Girl on mountain top
Snowy countryside

Wild camping after a long walk is a perfect way to calm my mind; being in the middle of nowhere, alone, helps to focus my mind on the present moment and everything around me. I feel a great sense of accomplishment when I set up my tent at the end of a long days walk.

At home, I am lucky to live in the country, and walk just outside my front door to de-stress. No matter what time of year it is I can experience the beauty of nature first-hand during every season. In winter, I appreciate the early morning frosts, and in spring I like to see the flowers come out. It’s a great opportunity to improve my plant ID skills too. Being outside and spending time in nature encourages me to take time away from technological devices including my phone, TV, and computer, and allows me to live in the present moment and recharge from the stresses of everyday life.

References

Bratman, G.N., Anderson, C.B., Berman, M.G., Cochran, B., De Vries, S., Flanders, J., Folke, C., Frumkin, H., Gross, J.J., Hartig, T. and Kahn Jr, P.H., 2019. Nature and mental health: An ecosystem service perspective. Science advances, 5(7), p.eaax0903. 

Berman, M.G., Jonides, J. and Kaplan, S., 2008. The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature. Psychological science, 19(12), pp.1207-1212. 

Cudworth, D. and Lumber, R., 2021. The importance of Forest School and the pathways to nature connection. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, 24(1), pp.71-85. 

Wildlifetrusts.org. 2022. Wildlife gardening | The Wildlife Trusts.  Available at: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/gardening 

Madeleine Anderson, Assistant Ecologist

wild flower meadow

The Power of Plants – why are plants vital?

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Our planet would not be able to support life if we did not have plants. Plants define different habitats that can support fauna species which contributes to biodiversity. The more numerous plant species there are within an area, the higher habitat diversity is present, which will therefore have a higher biodiversity value, leading in turn to a heathier and more stable ecosystem. Due to the increased pressures from industry, agriculture and development, the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. The current levels of wildlife abundance is still declining, which would cause a disastrous effect on our country’s ability to support healthy ecosystems. The introduction of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) aims to increase the biodiversity value of new developments by a minimum of %10 net gain. If BNG is successful, then there is still a possibility that we can reverse the decline in the UK biodiversity. 

How is biodiversity calculated?

The biodiversity value of a site is calculated by identifying and assessing the onsite habitats present prior to the development
being undertaken by using the extended Phase 1 habitat survey methodology. This survey involves an experienced ecologist identifying the various plant species and habitat types that are present onsite. The habitat is then classified by mapping the species assemblages identified onsite. 

LW - Plant blog image 3

Conditions

The conditions of the habitats are also assessed, which is an important step when calculating the biodiversity value of the site as it can identify priority and protected habitats onsite, as well as identify which habitats can be enhanced to gain further biodiversity value. The information then influences the recommended mitigations measures that are required for the project to be undertaken. 

 
LW - Plant blog image 4

Phase 1 Survey

Phase I survey is carried out as part of a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) which uses the data taken from the site survey as well as species records and designated site data from the surrounding area to identify what ecological constraints could be present onsite. This information is then used to provide recommendations as to what further surveys and mitigation should be carried out for the development to proceed without triggering legislation.   

Large blue butterfly
IS - Bluebell and Dog's Mercury

Why is plant identification so important?

Plant identification is the fundamental aspect when classifying and assessing the conditions of habitats onsite. Plants provide an indication of the soil type, the nitrogen content, soil moisture and salt content, climate, light exposure, and temperatures. Habitats can be identified through indicator species, which are specific species that only grow in certain soil types and conditions. The habitat condition can also be assessed by recording the number and abundance of plant species within a certain habitat. 

What is the optimal time to survey habitats?

A Phase I can be undertaken throughout the year, however, the optimum period for the survey is between April to September. This is because there are more identifiable features on a flowering plant and in some cases, you can only identify plants to species level if the flower is present. If the survey is undertaken within the suboptimal period, or certain types of habitats are present, that require a more detailed survey, a botanical survey may be required depending on what habitats are being affected by the proposed development.  

Habitat identification and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

Natural England developed the biodiversity metric to help calculate the BNG score of a development which has brought up a lot of debate on how effective the metric is. One of the most fundamental points is that for the calculation to work, the baseline habitat assessment needs to be accurate. An accurate evaluation of the habitat condition also identifies which habitats can be enhanced onsite as well what habits can be created to increase the biodiversity value of the development. 

UK Habitat Classification System

The way that Natural England has addressed this need is by using the UK Habitat Classification System (UKHab). The UKHab classification system[1] was published in 2018 after extensive trialling by volunteers.

UKHab acts as a middle ground between the quicker Phase 1 habitat assessment and the more comprehensive and slower National Vegetation Classification (NVC) survey.

UKHab can classify habitats quicker than the NVC but with more information than the Phase 1 survey. UKHab also attempts to create a less subjective approach to habitat classification using a system similar to an identification key to help guide an ecologist to the correct habitat. Therefore, UKHab can be an accurate way of classifying the onsite habitat condition and type. 

High rise buildings surrounded by flower meadow

Prior to it being used for the metric only a small number of consultants used UKHab it as its main classification system.

However, with this new introduction it is now vital for ecologists to learn and develop their skills with using the new system. Fortunately, BNG will be mandatory in the autumn of 2023, this means that there is now an opportunity for ecologists to get to grips with using UKHab.

This period of grace is also a fantastic opportunity to develop a good understanding of plant identification, especially as we are entering into spring and summer when it is easier to do so. 

What can be done to increase the biodiversity in a development?

–          Involving and consulting an ecologist in the earliest stages of a new development means that they can recommend what habitats can be created and enhanced, to increase the biodiversity of a site post-development.

–          Plan to have a wide variety of habitats comprised of native species of local provenance and grown in the UK, which will support our native populations of insects and mammals. This also reduces the chance of introducing plant diseases and pests from abroad.

–          Designing green infrastructure as part of a development have shown to not only increase environmental benefits but has also shown benefits for social and economic benefits. 

–          Create wildlife-friendly gardens to support local wildlife all year round.   

Laoise Wilder, Assistant Ecologist

man holding bee brick

Walking the talk: being a B Corp

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Joining the B Corp community, and achieving certification in 2019, has probably been Wildwood’s most transformative decision to date. It’s provided clarity about the kind of business we want to be and how we want to conduct ourselves. It’s enabled us to establish a distinct identity, set out a vision and values, and, ultimately, distinguish what makes Wildwood different from the rest. But it’s one thing to adopt the B Corp code ‘using business as a force for good’, it’s another thing altogether to put it into practice.

Our Story

Wildwood Ecology is proud to have been conceived and born in Wales. Our founding director, Richard Crompton, was influenced by Oliver Rackham‘s conception of the “Wildwood” in the ‘History of the Countryside‘, which provides a fascinating account of the sometimes subtle and sometimes radical ways in which people, fauna, flora, climate, soils and other physical conditions have played their part in the shaping of the countryside.  I personally have taken great inspiration from a book by the writer, broadcaster, and film-maker Roger Deakin, who died in 2006, after completing the manuscript for a book entitled ‘Wildwood – a journey through trees’. Published a year after his passing, Deakin’s tale describes sleeping under the stars in the open attic, or in an abandoned wooden railway carriage in the orchard, “listening to the cool oboe notes of owls and their shrewicides in the meadow and along the lane”. Wonderful words and a wonderful book. I believe that in those few lines carries an enormous sentiment of what the natural environment meant to both the author and to us all if we care to stand and stare.

Bookcover Wildwood a Journey through trees

“listening to the cool oboe of owls and their shrewicides in the meadow and along the lane”

Richard Dodd

Why ecology?

My career choice was a simple one: I am an ecologist because I love the natural environment. It gives me all I need; clean air, fresh water and wholesome food, spectacular natural landscapes and wildlife, seasonality, resources and opportunities to make my life comfortable and enjoyable.

After working for public and not-for-profit organisations since graduating from Cardiff University, I joined Richard Crompton as Co-Director of Wildwood Ecology in 2010. Working together to grow the company, focusing on both ecological consultancy and training, we parted company in 2016. Richard Crompton is now an established ecological projects advisor and trainer, where he assists ecologists and commercial clients with complex ecological projects, especially those involving bats and other protected species.

Vision and Values

It is easy for business owners to relate to the idea that their journey ultimately shapes the vision and values of their company. It would be incongruous to hold strong personal principles and yet contradict these in a working environment. It might be possible to do so for a short period of time, and it might even be possible to convince some employees and clients, but typically, this road inevitably leads to frustration, compromise, inconsistency, and often failure.
Wildwood Ecology understands its responsibility to both the environment and society, which may go beyond any legal or regulatory requirements by which a company must abide. My colleagues and I, Deakin and many others, believe that the protection and enjoyment of the natural environment is vital to the continued existence of us all. Our actions and advice in developing the built environment as ecological consultants must seek to halt and restore biodiversity loss, address our own impacts on human induced climate change and help create a better planet for the benefit of future generations.
Since Wildwood Ecology’s conception we have been on an evolving transformative journey. Of course, we have made many mistakes along the way, and will likely make many more, but we strive to learn. We want to be a better business tomorrow than we are today. Easy to say, harder to deliver. However, this is a marathon and not a sprint. We do not adopt cheap labels such as “the number one ecological experts” but we do have a strong vision and values that bind us, and, I believe, make us a better business.
We will not knowingly work on political vanity projects or any development where the natural environment is either side-lined or ignored.

A Force for Good

We use our vision and values as our rulebook.  They remind us to recruit and reward our hard-working and principled ecologists,  to deliver an outstanding level of service to our valued clients, and how we choose our suppliers. This approach enabled our discovery of sustainable and ethical business practice, and we  began to notice a recurring pattern.

Many of the companies we sought to emulate were associated with the B Corp movement. Having never heard ‘B Corp’ before, this was a completely new and intriguing entity.   

B Corporation block
Bird on bird ball bird house

In late 2018, I attended the Homebuilding & Renovating Show in London, where I met ecological design company, Green&Blue, who were showcasing their beautiful bee bricks, bird, and bat boxes. What  was most impressive was their passion, not only for creating a sustainable product, but a sustainable business. They share our commitment to the natural environment and believe that every new home built also needs to provide a home for wildlife. They had recently been certified as a B Corp, and as that discussion progressed, it re-enforced my own attitude that all businesses can, and should be, a force for good.

The B Corporation vision

 On my return from the show, I began to research the B Corp movement in greater depth and began to see a real alignment with my own small ecological consultancy.

Skip forward a few months, and in July 2019 we became a proud member of the B Corp community. It puts us at the heart of a global network of more than 4,600 companies that are committed to acting in a sustainable and transparent way, whilst meeting the highest environmental and social standards.

B Corp vision statement

To become a certified B Corp, businesses are required to complete a survey, Business Impact Assessment (BIA). It’s not just any survey, it’s one of the most comprehensive and challenging tools out there for assessing the real social and environmental impact of a business.

B Impact Assessment

The BIA is operated by the independent non-profit B Lab. It allows businesses to measure the impact their business is having on the Environment, their Workers, Customers, and the Community, as well as looking at their Governance structure. Businesses must meet a minimum of 80 points out of 200 to certify, as well as make a legal change to their business to place impact on people and planet on the same level as profit.

On first certification we scored a mere 80.6 points, scraping in by the ‘skin of our teeth’, so we know we have a lot to do to make any real impact. You can compare our result with the likes of other great companies, including many instantly recognisable companies such as Patagonia, The Body Shop, Cook and Tridos Bank, and some industry specific companies including Kennedy Woods Architecture and Stride Treglown.

Since July 2019, we have made significant changes to the way we conduct our business. Here are a few things we have done:

  • Shifted our business account to The Co-operative Bank
  • Become a signatory as a Living Wage Employer
  • At the end of 2019 we committed at COP25 to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030
  • Chosen Fairphone as our dedicated mobile phone for employees and switched to Honest Mobile as our network provider
  • Integrated social and environmental performance into decision-making, including performance reviews that formally incorporate social and environmental issues
  • We offer a salary sacrifice scheme supporting employees to switch to an electric vehicle
  • We monitor and seek to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol calculation tool for Scope 1, 2 & 3 emissions

This is a small list of the things we have changed and we recognise we still have a long way to go. There is a plan and strategy in place to get us there that will require real action; action that impacts the way we do business. B Corps are required to undergo the verification process every three years to recertify, ensuring standards continue to be met and promoting long-term resiliency. As such, we will go through our very first recertification programme in July 2022. I’m really looking forward to having these improvements validated and finding out what our new impact score will be. 

Play your part

Why should you seek out purpose-led companies?

Every time you buy a product or service from a B Corp, you’re taking a small step towards a more sustainable world, and casting a vote for a new way of doing good business.

As a B Corp, we have changed the way we conduct our normal business activities that benefits all our stakeholders and not just our shareholder. We have chosen to monitor, review and, where necessary, change the way we operate and conduct the way we interact with our clients, customers, suppliers, employees, and our communities. It goes beyond giving money to a charitable cause, volunteering, or offsetting our carbon emissions. 

B Corp Businesses

We actively seek change in everything we do and live by our vision and values. Sometimes we may not get it right, but you can rest assured that we will never cease trying to do so and learn from our mistakes.

Also, perhaps consider that people want to work for companies and organisations that stand for something beyond just making money. Time and again, we see brilliant individuals wanting to join our team, and stay with us, because they believe in our vision and share our values. A business can make a positive change if they listen to and support the growth and development of their most important asset – their employees!

We’ve got a busy year ahead and we’ll face lots more challenges. But by collaborating with others, spreading the word about B Corp and focusing on our vision, we can prove that business truly can be a force for good. And that as we grow (and we are growing both our consultancy and training division, The Ecology Academy), we can play an even bigger role in sustainably building an environment that considers biodiversity loss, as much as the climate crisis we all face.

Richard Dodd, Managing Director

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