At EP Ecology, we pride ourselves in delivering a project from start to finish. This includes preliminary data collection, field surveys, the assessment of effects on these species from the proposals, design of mitigation, support with licensing, and on-site support during project delivery.

Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) is a thorough assessment of the effects of a project or plan on biodiversity. Usually, EcIA goes through a “scoping” exercise where the key features (be they a species, a habitat, or designated site) are chosen to be assessed (“scoped in” or “scoped out”).

Surveys and data collection follow – be these physical on-site surveys for species and habitats or collection of existing information using online or other resources. These are then judged for their importance at a geographical scale using a mix of scientific resources and professional judgement.

The assessment then looks at whether there will be any effects on these receptors, what type of effects, and what scale or magnitude these effects will have on the key features. EcIA sets out a series of mitigation and compensation measures that are committed to by the developer to combat the effects of their development. These are then used to determine the residual effects of the development on the key features.

EP Ecology and our associates have extensive experience of ecological impact assessment for a variety of different schemes, be they housing developments, transport routes, or renewable energy.

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Where a plan or proposed project may affect any international site in the UK (e.g. Special protection Areas, Special Areas of Conservation, or RAMSAR wetlands), these developments must be subject to a Habitats regulations Appraisal.

Typically, a HRA is completed by the Competent Authority (usually the local planning body) but for many projects, they request that a shadow HRA be compiled and submitted to them in order to inform their assessment.

A Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA) looks at a project or plan and determines whether it to have any “likely significant effects” on any site which is part of the UK Site Network (formerly the Natura 2000 Site Network). The UK Site network includes Special Protection Areas and Special Areas of Conservation.

A HRA looks at the features of each designated site, identifies potential effect pathways, and then looks at the likelihood that any affects on the designating features will alter their conservation status, or be significant (e.g. “likely significant effect”).

Our skilled team of ecologists are proficient with completing HRA and would be happy to discuss how we can assist you today.

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