Habitat Creation and Management

The creation of new habitats such as ponds, woodland, hedgerows, wildflower areas, hibernacula, stone walls, nest boxes, bat roosts etc. can form part of a mitigation strategy or a protected species licence application. Alternatively, you may simply wish to enhance your site for wildlife.

Similarly, a change in management of existing habitats can be extremely beneficial. For instance, a change in cutting regime for hedgerows, or mangement of pond vegetation. Gould Ecology can help to manage your land in order to balance ecological requirements with other demands, such as amenity, food production and access.

Provision of a long term management plan will provide you with a schedule of works over several years to achieve the desired changes.

Our habitat services include:

• Habitat management planning and advice;
• Creation of habitats, including  wildlife ponds, woodland, hedgerows;
• Small scale habitat management works, including woodland management, coppicing, hedgelaying, scrub clearance, pond restoration, orchard restoration;
• Provision of habitat enhancement measures to promote wildlife on site, such as creation of linking features, wildlife planting schemes, artificial hibernaculae, installation of bat and bird boxes, provision of habitat features for pollinators, birds, bats, reptiles, amphibians, etc.

Ecological Enhancement

Integrating ‘habitat enhancements’ into a project design will support your planning application, and provide benefits to the local area – potentially improving the overall desirability and amenity value of the site.

Both UK and European policy aims to halt the documented loss in biodiversity, and to ensure that new developments provide overall gains for wildlife. Planning policy has been influenced by a number of recent studies demonstrating the economic and social value of maintaining a functioning ecology, and of the continuing decline of biodiversity globally. Therefore, development projects which can provide benefits to biodiversity are looked upon favourably within the planning system.

We can provide a strategy to ensure that your project delivers meaningful gains for wildlife through consideration of the local ecology.

Examples include: 

• Provision of protected or set-aside areas;
• Creation of linking features within and across a site;
• Creation of hedgebanks or dry stone walls;
• Installation of bat roosting features or bird boxes;
• Planting plans to support pollinators, birds, bats or other species;
• Habitat management planning to support biodiversity, or targeted species such as hedgehog, dormouse or slow worm;
• Restoration of existing habitat features;
• Creation of reptile hibernacula or basking banks
• Creation of wildflower areas.

 Gould Ecology can help you to realise the potential of your project for biodiversity. Please contact us to discuss.