Services

Environment Systems provides a wide range of services including (click on the down arrows to view more):

• Hedgerow surveys
• National Vegetation Classification (NVC) surveys
• River Corridor and River Habitat surveys
• Invasive plant surveys including Himalayan balsam, Japanese knotweed and Giant Hogweed etc.
• Lower plant surveys, including bryophytes, lichens and freshwater algae

• About Badger surveys
  Badgers and their setts are protected under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992. It is an offence to kill or injure them or interfere with a sett. Our experienced ecologists can advise and carry out all aspects of badger conservation and protection, from thorough field surveys, to mitigation work.
• About Bat surveys
  All UK bat species are protected by law and it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly kill, injure, handle or capture a bat, or to damage, destroy or obstruct any place that a bat uses for shelter or protection. We are fully licensed to undertake bat surveys across the UK. We offer a full range of bat surveys and can guide you through all stages of the process. All our surveys are in line with current guidelines from statutory bodies, ensuring methodology is in line with best practice.
• About Bird surveys
  We undertake all types of bird surveys during both the breeding and non-breeding seasons. Techniques used include breeding bird surveys, wintering bird surveys, common bird census (CBC), vantage point surveys (VPs), point counts, transects, radio-tracking, wing tagging, Wetland Bird Surveys (WeBS), Schedule 1 Raptor Surveys and Brown and Shepherd methodology for upland birds. We also undertake specialist surveys for individual species, such as nightjar, peregrine falcon, red kite and other protected and priority species of bird. All ecosystems are covered; terrestrial, freshwater, intertidal and marine.
• About Dormouse surveys
  Hazel dormice are fully protected under UK and European law. It is an offence to injure, kill, capture or disturb them, or to damage, destroy or obstruct their habitats. Our team of specialist associates can advise on and carry out all aspects of dormouse conservation and protection, from thorough and licensed field surveys to mitigation work, applications for European Protected Species Mitigation licensing and habitat enhancement.
• About Great Crested Newt surveys
  Great crested newts are fully protected under UK and European law. It is an offence to injure, kill, capture or disturb them, or to damage, destroy or obstruct any places used for shelter and protection. Our team of specialist associates hold all the necessary licenses to carry out full great crested newt surveys across Wales and England using a range of survey techniques, including bottle trapping, torching, egg searches and drift fencing. We can also provide eDNA sampling techniques to enable analysis of a pond from a single visit, saving the client time and money.
• About Otter surveys
  Otters are protected under UK and European law. It is an offence to kill, capture, injure or disturb them, or to damage or destroy a breeding or resting place, or to obstruct access to their resting or sheltering places. Otter surveys can take place at any time of the year but can be affected by vegetation growth and the weather. Our ecologists undertake habitat suitability assessments to determine the likely presence of otters and target further surveys. We can advise on and carry out all aspects of otter conservation and protection.
• About Red Squirrel surveys
  Red squirrels are fully protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). Under this UK law it is illegal to intentionally take, kill or injure, intentionally or recklessly damage, destroy disturb or obstruct its place of shelter or protection. We can advise and carry out all aspects of red squirrel survey for conservation and protection projects.
• About Reptile surveys
  All reptiles are protected under UK law making it illegal to intentionally kill or injure a common reptile (slow worm, common lizard, grass snake and adder). We can advise and carry out all aspects of reptile survey and mitigation.
• About Water Vole surveys
  Water voles are protected under UK law making it an offence to deliberately capture, injure or kill them, or to recklessly damage, disturb, destroy or obstruct their burrows. Our ecologists can advise on all aspects of water vole conservation from survey timings, river corridor management and mitigation.

• Ecological Impact Assessments (EcIA)
• Ecological input into Environmental Impact Assessment
• Site interpretation and ground truthing
• Habitat management planning
• Expert witness
• BREEAM & CEEQUAL Assessments

A number of staff are full members of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management and are Chartered Environmentalists. Our practitioners hold survey and development licenses for species protected by European law.