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Name: Lorna Roberts
Organisation: LUC (UK-based Environmental and Ecological Consultancy; http://landuse.co.uk/)
Role: Consultant Ecologist
Nationality and main countries worked: British; UK
Why is Ecological Impact Assessment important in applied ecology?
It is important to ensure that new developments are planned and carried out with ecology in mind, and that they comply with relevant legislation. Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) is the process that assesses the potential consequences of development projects on ecological features within, or in the vicinity of, the focal site. From the client’s point of view, EcIA (particularly the preliminary stages such as screening/scoping) ensures early identification of any ecological constraints. When constraints are identified and taken into account at the start of a project, this can inform change in the development’s design to avoid unnecessary time delays and expenditure for the client. Ultimately, this also minimises the potential for any adverse effects on ecological features and makes developments as ecologically sensitive as possible. Creating developments that are both sensitive to exiting ecological features and which maximise enhancements for wildlife is also important for the client’s reputation as a sensitive and sustainable developer.
What is your day-to-day job?
I am a consultant ecologist with a medium sized consultancy firm, LUC, in the UK. My work is necessarily very varied. A typical week could include carrying out a general Ecological Appraisal one day, undertaking surveys of protected species such as great crested newts Triturus cristatus the next day, supervising ground investigation works the day after that, and ending the week writing technical reports.
This varied work pattern is typical of ecological consultancy and is carried through to involvement in the EcIA process. A consultant ecologist is generally appointed at the beginning of the project, once the potential for ecological constraints have been identified. They are thus involved in scoping, field surveys, development of scheme design, development of mitigation and enhancement measures, as well as the actual written assessment itself.
Project management is also an important part of the EcIA process. Sites often support a complex assemblage of habitats and species and careful planning and co-ordination of botanical and protected species surveys is required. Attendance at regular planning meetings is often necessary, particularly with the larger and more complex sites. This gives the team (which includes planners, architects, landscape design team, as well as the ecologists) an opportunity to discuss the design process, and any conflicts in mitigation or design requirements between teams.
What is your most interesting recent project and why?
For the past year I have been involved in the large scale re-development of an historic country estate. The estate has been subject to a number of uses over the years so as well as the original mansion and ancillary buildings, a number of more modern buildings are also present. The site supports a range of habitats including woodland, grassland, heathland and several waterbodies, which in turn support a range of protected species. Part of the EcIA focused on impacts on dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius, badger Meles meles, and great crested newts Triturus cristatus. Full protected species surveys were carried out for all these species. Of particular note were the site’s populations of bats and birds. We recorded bat roosts within 35 buildings on the site, and two rare species were recorded during activity surveys. The large number of roosts resulted in complex mitigation being proposed. This included retention of the larger roosts, provision of alternative roosting sites (including erection of bat boxes, built-in bat features in new buildings and creation of two bespoke “bat houses”), timing and phasing of works to avoid works to roosts during the most sensitive times of year when bats are breeding/hibernating, part-demolition by hand of some buildings, and exclusion of bats from roosts that could not be retained.
Following specialist survey, we found the bird assemblage to be of value at the County Level and included several specially protected species (listed on Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981), including barn owl Tyto alba, Eurasian hobby Falco subbuteo and European nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus. The site was also deemed important for wintering wildfowl given the presence of a large lake. The findings of the survey resulted in the client purchasing an additional piece of land adjacent to the site. The client planned to create a nature reserve on this piece of land, and manage it specifically for certain specially-protected birds in perpetuity.
The assessment process was complicated by the client’s decision to submit three separate planning applications for the site, based on different change of use applications for the mansion. This essentially resulted in a separate assessment being carried out for each planning application, which is highly unusual, and made the assessment technically challenging for me. In addition, the site lies adjacent to a Special Protection Area (SPA), a site designated under European legislation for its bird interest. This meant that a Habitats Regulations Assessment was required in addition to the EcIA. A Habitat Regulations Assessment, is an assessment to determine whether development would result in impacts on the designation features of a European Designated Site - the SPA in this case - and is required by law where development could affect the integrity of such a site.
The complexities of this site were technically challenging and allowed me to be creative in developing survey methods and mitigation. The number of surveys required also meant working with a large team of surveyors requiring large scale co-ordination on my part. I needed to make sure everyone had the equipment and tools to complete surveys, and were clear about the aims of the surveys and exactly where they needed to be and when. I also had to make sure the team were aware of complex health and safety issues, particularly when surveying on the roofs of some of the buildings, and in the vicinity of water.
What are the most satisfying parts of your job?
The knowledge that as a result of the surveys and assessments I have conducted, sensitive ecological features have been protected. Local planning authorities now place an emphasis on enhancement of a site’s ecological features, and input from ecologists such as me, the maximum benefit for ecology can be achieved through measures such as habitat creation, management of existing habitats to enhance their diversity or suitability for protected species, and design of buildings to include features such as bird boxes, bat boxes or biodiverse living roofs. The latter is especially important within large cities where green spaces and opportunities for wildlife can be limited.
What do you see as the main challenges in EcIA and how can they be overcome?
One of the main challenges in EcIA is engaging the client so that they are receptive to the mitigation and enhancement measures that you propose. All too often, clients can see ecology as merely a box they need to check. This may in part be due to the fact that our duty as ecologists is often to tell the client they need to spend thousands of pounds installing mitigation for species that they haven’t even seen, and probably will never will! Thankfully new survey methods are helping to provide visual evidence that can be supplied to the client. For example, LUC have recently begun to use infra-red technology when carrying out bat surveys. This technology has allowed us to pinpoint roost entrances in internal spaces, and has resulted in some detailed footage of bat behaviour that the client wouldn’t normally see. It has also helped to save the client money, which is always a good thing! Together, this helps engages clients in the EcIA process and they have been happy to put in more comprehensive enhancement measures as a result.
Another challenge in EcIA is the discrepancy that sometimes occurs between teams when mitigation is proposed. For example, the lighting design of a development may need to be altered to take account of nocturnal species using boundary habitats, or architects may want to fell a section of woodland or mature trees with bat roosting potential in order to maximise the number of houses within a site. These conflicts can be addressed if the client liaises with ecologists from the very beginning of the project so the design can be developed with ecology in mind. This will save the client money in the long run, as design changes can add weeks (and therefore thousands of pounds) to a project.
You obviously spend a lot of time out in the field. What about the office-based side of things?
After the EcIA has been completed, the report will be submitted to the client who will comment on the document. Such comments usually relate to proposed mitigation or project details. After this the EcIA will be sent to the client’s legal team to review. The legal team are specialists in planning law, and will review the EcIA and any technical appendices to ensure that they comply with planning legislation and will allow planning permission to be granted.
For large and potentially contentious projects, such as the re-development of the historic country estate that I mentioned earlier, it is likely that a public inquiry will be required. This is held by the Planning Inspectorate, which will scrutinise the evidence for and against the decision to grant planning permission. The ecologist’s role in the public inquiry varies, but they can be required to either attend the public inquiry as an expert witness to give evidence on behalf of their client (this could either be on behalf of the developer, or sometimes on behalf of another interested party such as the local Wildlife Trust who may be opposing the development). If the ecologist is called as an expert witness they will be cross-examined by a barrister on potentially any part of the EcIA, including the survey methods, the reasoning behind valuations or the assessment of impacts and mitigation proposals. In some cases, it is not necessary to attend the inquiry but a written statement is prepared to be heard as part of the evidence. .
What’s next for you, and why?
I have now worked with the company for three years, and have taken up an exciting opportunity to move to the Bristol office. This will help expand our company’s geographic range to the South-West of England and Wales. I am looking forward to being involved in a new range of projects, and initially a lot of my time is likely to be spent introducing LUC to prospective clients, as well as preparing tenders for projects. I look forward to working with the landscape and planning teams in Bristol and expanding my role to include more client relationship management responsibilities.
Finally, how did you get into EcIA and what advice would you give to others?
I was unsure of exactly what I wanted to do after I finished my undergraduate degree. At the time I had been volunteering with the local Wildlife Trust and the local Amphibian and Reptile group, but knew I did not want to work in the conservation sector. I went to my university careers officer, who asked me to describe what I would like in a job. It turns out I described ecological consultancy! The careers officer advised me to apply for a Master’s degree that fitted with my career aspirations. I increased my volunteering activities during my MSc and met a consultant through the local bat group who offered me some seasonal amphibian and bat survey work. At the time I finished my MSc, ecology jobs were few and far between as the recession was still having an effect on recruitment, but in time I got a job with LUC. I have now worked with the company for three years, and have taken up an exciting opportunity to move to the Bristol office. This will help expand our company’s geographic range to the South-West of England and Wales.
Ecological consultancies usually require a Master’s degree. When choosing your Master’s degree it is important to pick a course that is relevant. There are courses in applied ecology specifically targeted towards consultancy, but courses in biological recording or biodiversity are also relevant. Some companies will take on graduates straight from University courses, but they usually expect you to also have experience of the types of work involved in consultancy, such as botanical or protected species surveys. You may be able to find work as a seasonal surveyor, but volunteering with local wildlife groups (such as the local bat group, mammal group, or amphibian and reptile group) is a good way to build up experience. It also demonstrates your commitment to ecology, another important consideration for prospective employers! Consultant ecologists aren’t top pay earners and often work extremely unsociable hours so it is important to demonstrate to potential employers that you know what ecology entails and are committed.
Many consultancies also require you to have protected species licences such as for great crested newts or bats and work with local groups can count towards those. It is also important to join a recognised professional body, such as the Chartered Institute for Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM). It is usually an employer requirement for ecologists to be members, and you can start off as a graduate member and progress to full membership once you have the required experience.