Great Crested Newts - time for action!
Great Crested Newts (GCN) are a European Protected Species (EPS) and are therefore fully protected against killing, capture, injury and disturbance,
and the places they use for shelter or protection are protected against damage, destruction or obstruction. If a GCN (adult, juvenile or tadpole) is found (or suspected) on site after works have started, all works in the area must stop immediately and expert advice must be sought. Only EPS licence holders are permitted to survey, handle or move GCN.
February is a good time to discuss GCN surveys with The Ecology Consultancy, so please get in touch.
Great crested newts (GCN) are our largest newt, occurring in rural, urban and suburban sites where medium to large ponds are present. However, they can be found in any body of water on a site, including temporary pools. They are amphibians, but spend most of their time on land – in grass, scrub and woodland and under logs and stones, up to 1km from their breeding pond, but normally within 500m. Their brightly coloured bellies are a distinctive feature. GCN are nocturnal and are seen mostly at night.
The Ecology Consultancy generally surveys for GCN from March to June, when the animals are most active. Our ecologists set bottle-traps in the evening and return to the site in the early hours of the morning to count, sex and release the newts.
GCN are a European Protected Species (EPS) and are therefore fully protected against killing, capture, injury and disturbance, and the places they use for shelter are protected against damage, destruction or obstruction. If a GCN (adult, juvenile or tadpole) is found (or suspected) on site after works have started, all works in the area must stop immediately and expert advice must be sought. Only EPS licence holders are permitted to survey, handle or move GCN.
Natural England’s Wildlife Licensing Unit reported that for the period 1st April to 30th September 2010 a total of 1,072 European Protected Species (EPS) mitigation licence applications were processed. February is a good time to discuss GCN surveys with The Ecology Consultancy, so please get in touch.
The Ecology Consultancy advises that timely wildlife surveys are undertaken before planning permission is sought, so that development can be designed to avoid impacts on the habitats of protected species. It must be remembered that breaking the law can lead to hefty fines (up to £5000 per offence) or even prison sentences, so early action is recommended. If impacts turn out to be unavoidable, mitigation proposals must be incorporated and new habitat created to replace what is destroyed. Irrespective of whether development impacts on protected species, there is always potential for enhancement of wildlife habitat.
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