ecology habitats marine

Great Crested Newts

Great Crested Newt are UK and European protected species, listed as a Priority Species on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) and numerous Local BAPs. The UK BAP reports the Great Crested Newt is declining (slowly).

Great Crested Newt are amphibians which live on land for most of the year and in waterbodies during their breeding season. Reliant on mid-successional ponds for breeding they also require foraging habitat such as woodland, hedgerows, scrub and rough grassland with cover for refuge and hibernation.

Vegetated habitats up to 500m from waterbodies may be occupied or used for dispersal provided there are no barriers like roads with drop kerbs, other built land (buildings, walls etc), extreme landforms or rivers. Breeding ponds within 250m of each other often form meta-populations.

Crested Newt mitigation, Great Crested Newt licence application, Great Crested Newt fencing

Our support capabilities for Great Crested Newt are:

Ecology

Survey
Great Crested Newt Habitat suitability index assessment, Great Crested Newt Presence/absence, Great Crested Newt Population and Terrestrial surveys.

Design and Assessment
Masterplan design and Impact Assessment.

Licence Application
European Protected Species licence application, site supervision and monitoring.

Mitigation
Receptor site and Great Crested Newt compensatory habitat selection and design, precautionary working method statements, tool box talks, pre-works survey and site supervision, translocation.

Management and Monitoring
Production of management plans and monitoring during construction and post mitigation.

Habitats

Exclusion and Fence Installation
Installation of Great Crested Newt exclusion and drift fencing, pit traps and carpet tiles and bespoke access grids/gates.

Mitigation
Destructive searches and turf stripping.

Habitat Creation and Restoration
Great Crested Newt receptor site creation – tree, woodland, scrub and hedgerow planting, grassland seeding, hibernacula creation, pond and lake creation and restoration, reedbed and wetland creation.

Habitat Clearance
Tree, scrub, woodland and hedgerow clearance, stump grinding and treatment, turf stripping and waterbody draining and infilling.

Habitat Management
Short and long-term terrestrial, aquatic and wetland management for Great Crested Newts.