Keystone Ecology
Keystone Habitats
Keystone – making ecology our business
Keystone Marine
Our marine ecological consultancy services include seabed, intertidal and sub-tidal surveys, seabed sampling, biotope surveys and mapping, marine mammal and bird surveys, plankton, fish and benthic surveys, GIS Mapping, Ecological Impact Assessment and the design and implementation of Mitigation, Monitoring and Management Plans.
Ecology, Habitats and Marine Survey, Assessment, Design, Planning and Contracting
Featured projects
- Biodiversity Action Plan – Longcliffe Quarry
- Ecology Surveys for Commercial Wind Farms
- Ecological Feasibility Survey for Proposed Pipeline Routes
- Ecological Risk Assessments – M23 Collision Zone
- Great Crested Newt and Invertebrate Surveys
- Ecological Baseline Surveys and ES Chapter
- 5th National Otter Survey
- Ecology Surveys for Hydropower Scheme
- Rail Contractor Briefing for Reptiles
- Ecology Survey and Assessment for Waste Composting Facility
- Strategic Habitats Regulations Assessment
- Ecology Surveys and Mitigation for Brownfield Regeneration
Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions
© 2002 - 2024 Keystone Environmental | Ecology Consultancy and Contracting
Registered in England and Wales Company Number 04445324
Registered Office: The Old Barn, Park Farm Buildings, Beverston, Tetbury, GL8 8TT
HEAD OFFICE: 01666 503687
WELSH OFFICE: 02920 504024
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.
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.