John Pilkington

Gardenwatch Time

This annual citizen-science project provides a valuable snapshot of the state of UK’s bird populations and will lead to changes in policies and practices to help them flourish again.

Bat Survey Projects

UK bats are protected species, so ecological surveys must be conducted to ensure their absence or to help modify designs and include mitigation measures within development plans.

Ecological Survey Calendar

Nature doesn’t work to our timetables, but local authority ecologists will expect that surveys will have been conducted at the optimum time for the subject species.

Achieving Biodiversity Net Gain

Photo: Local Government Association – Development projects will be mandated to include at least 10% improvement in biodiversity by 2023. The UK government has committed itself to reversing the loss in biodiversity across the country by 2030 and has made provision in its “flagship” Environment Act 2021 for ensuring that each future development project deliversContinueContinue reading “Achieving Biodiversity Net Gain”

Road versus Bats

Plans to install a dual-carriageway ring road near Norwich could decimate habitats supporting a large colony of extremely rare bats. Are mitigation measures or is re-routing the solution?

Science Park Solar Power

A significant amount of our work on this project was investigating whether badgers from the local nature reserve were making use of the proposed site.

Great-crested Newt Licence

This newt is the most highly protected amphibian in Britain and the most secretive in its habits. Licensed ecologists must employ a range of survey techniques to confirm its presence or absence.

“Mini Forests” Spreading

“Mini forests” might make a valuable contribution to improving the biodiversity of nature within developments on housing and industrial estates, but can’t replace existing forests and woodland.

UK Environment Act 2021

The Environment Act 2021 provides umbrella coverage for a range of supporting legislation within each of UK’s nations.

Ancient Honeybees Discovered

The discovery of ancient bees is a reminder of the wonders still hidden in our habitats and that we should preserve and integrate them into development plans, rather than tearing them down.