Scotland 2045 – Fourth National Planning Policy Framework “Nature Crisis”: What does it mean for ecologists and developers?
From incorporating biodiversity enhancement to strengthening Nature Networks, the new national planning policy might change how we look at biodiversity in development entirely. On this page:What does the policy say?What does this mean for developers?What does this mean for ecologists? The Scottish Government has recently published their Draft Fourth National Planning Policy Framework. In this, there […]
Ecology Surveys of the Month: February
Continuing from last month’s post, here’s a few of the surveys we can do in February. Another quieter month for ecology surveyors, but that doesn’t mean we’re sitting inside hibernating (even if we may wish we were!) Badger Survey February sees the start of the badger survey season as they start to become more active following the January […]
Great Crested Newt: Friend or Foe?
Update 26th Jan. 2021: This blog post is specifically about great crested newt surveys in Scotland, it does not apply in England where there are several systems in place to bypass the need to undertake GCN surveys for projects. The least common species of newt in Great Britain, great crested newts (GCN; Triturus cristatus) are often […]
Ecology Surveys of the Month: January
It’s well known that ecology is quite seasonally constrained. Certain species are active at times of the year where others are not. What this means is that as ecologists we need to time our surveys as best we can to collect suitable data. Surveying at the wrong time collects poor data and this can cause […]
Coronavirus: Level 4 Restrictions Update
With the news breaking yesterday that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has taken the decision to place eleven counties in Scotland under Level 4 Coronavirus restrictions including South Lanarkshire, where EP Ecology is based, I thought perhaps a little update on how we are working. So, level 4 restrictions do facilitate continued construction and outdoor working, which includes […]