The importance of professional ecological mitigation

A responsible company always has an ecological mitigation and management plan. This sets out the steps that are taken to limit damage to biodiversity or habitat that may otherwise happen throughout planned work. Before work commences, an environmental officer from the local authority may visit the site to check the existing habitat and confirm that plans are in place to safeguard vulnerable species.

Typical examples might include:

The creation of alternative habitats away from the site;

• Boosting the appeal of retained habitat by leaving hedgerows intact or by putting up bat or bird boxes;
• Taking care to safeguard watercourses by making sure the right sediment management is installed before work begins;
• Safely removing vulnerable fauna such as great crested newts, dormice or bats from planned demolition sites and taking them to new homes – this is also known as translocation;
• Trapping badgers from ancient setts and making new homes for them. However, in the UK, this action is unusual as badger setts are usually ringfenced.

For over a decade, our experienced and professional team has been offering environmental mitigation actions to an extensive range of projects and sites. Our team is always willing to consult and work on environmental plans that will help to reduce or negate the effect that development projects have on local flora and fauna. The Grounds Care Group is hugely passionate about limiting this type of impact if at all possible. Over the last ten years, the Grounds Care Group has successfully offered ecological mitigation plans to many different sectors, such as railways, local authorities, schools, hospitals and retail. The wealth of experience we have developed in the field of environmental mitigation helps us to limit the time and expense of managing existing wildlife in the area.

Our specialist ecological team has a range of practical strategies to enact. They will inspect your site and use their expertise to thoroughly assess which approach is required to reduce the impact of the works. Our techniques reflect the government guidelines and involve mitigation, avoidance and enhancement measures that.

Avoidance

Avoidance is perhaps the most economically viable option for limiting harm to vulnerable environmental habitats. Simple steps such as altering the timings of work so as not to coincide with the breeding season is an example of a low-cost avoidance strategy.

Mitigation

Our range of tried and tested mitigation methods are proved to lessen the potentially devastating effects of development. One example might be to install hedgehog boxes after construction or to plant native trees and hedgerows in designated areas to encourage existing wildlife to remain. Badger tunnels under busy roads is another example of a mitigation strategy. Translocation is another option when these strategies are insufficient and buys time to either redevelop existing habitats or create new ones. You can be sure that all our processes will comply with planning criteria in addition to being for the good of the project and the wider community.

Enhancements

Our range of enhancement strategies operate by bringing our mitigation, avoidance, and compensation methods together to successfully negate the loss of biodiversity loss or reduce the impact if at all possible. Government policies clearly state that new developments should help to restore biodiversity by providing new ecological habitats on and off-site.

Our highly skilled team will assist in the trapping and relocation of flora and fauna, where we feel it is necessary. We will use our expertise to create new habitats that mimic natural environments for a range of wildlife; especially endangered species. We offer ecological mitigation works for a range of wildlife, including:

• Amphibians
• Badgers
• Bats
• Birds
• Dormice
• Fish
• Invertebrates
• Otters
• Plants
• Reptiles
• Trees
• Water voles
• White-clawed crayfish

As ecological issues are increasingly prioritised by the public, using the services of a professional company who has years of experience in the field of ecological and environmental mitigation has never been so important.

Contact the Grounds Care Group today for more information on how the range of mitigation techniques and strategies could ensure that your development project remains on the right side of the law.