Otters are protected under UK and European legislation under which it is illegal to intentionally or recklessly disturb, injure or kill Otters and damage or destroy their habitat.

At Keystone we employ Otter specialists to advise our clients on the complexities of the law and the resulting constraints for any given scheme. Non-compliance with the law can lead to prosecution and a jail sentence of up to 2 years and/or a fine of up to £5000.

Survey and Assessment

Our surveyors work to accepted survey methodologies to establish presence/absence of Otters on waterways and to map their density and distribution where found. We undertake surveys for a wide variety of development, conservation and research schemes.

Licence Applications

Development activities that may result in the disturbance and/or loss of Otters and their habitat must be licensed. At Keystone we specialise in the design, application and implementation of European Protected Species licenses.

Our close relationship with licensing authorities and our experience of developing accepted mitigation schemes ensures our applications will be approved.

Impact Assessment

Impact assessment is required at various scales and is fundamental to the design of a successful mitigation strategy. We have undertaken impact assessments for Otters that range from concise reports for small scale planning applications to the ecology section of an ES for large scale projects.

Mitigation

Otter mitigation strategies are generally licensed and must therefore be designed and implemented to exacting standards. Development programmes can be seriously affected if mitigation work is not carried out in accordance with licence conditions and at an appropriate time of year.

Our expertise covers:

• Advice on proposed works to avoid impacts
• Design, creation and restoration of Otter habitat
• Advise on the timing of works that may affect Otters
• Production of phasing plans for activities that will impact upon Otters
• Design of exclusion strategies and apparatus
• Otter corridor routes and underpasses
• Tool box talks and contractor briefings
• Supervision of works
• Preparation of management and monitoring plans