Habitat management, creation and enhancement services

Ecological Sustainability can offer a range of habitat services – to deter protected species from development areas, to improve or create habitat for target species or to maintain existing habitats. All work is carried out by trained ecologists who can spot any potential wildlife issues on site in sensitive areas. We can also supply ecologists to supervise grass strimming and scrub clearance if undertaken by your own staff.

Vegetation removal or reduction

We can carry out brushcutting, strimming, scrub clearance and cutting back of trees. Each species has different habitat requirements and removal of vegetation may benefit one species but might deter another. Examples of this type of work that we carry out are below – the list is not exhaustive – if your requirements differ contact us to discuss them.

Birds – Removal of vegetation outside the nesting season will deter birds from nesting on your site and minimise potential delays during the nesting season.

Great crested newts – cutting back of trees and tall vegetation around breeding ponds can enhance them for great crested newts. Newt eggs develop quickly in ponds with low shade levels, if shade is too great eggs may not develop.

Reptiles – scrub clearance or reducing height of very tall rough grass and ruderals can benefit reptiles by opening the area to more sunlight, enabling them to warm up more easily and be more active. This can be used to enhance areas where reptiles are released (receptor sites) after being removed from a development site. Cutting vegetation closer to ground level so that ground level cover is removed will have the opposite effect and deter reptiles from that area. This method can be used as a tool in translocations to encourage reptiles to move from specific areas.

Water voles – strimming of bankside reeds and other vegetation to ground level, combined with raking can be used to remove all surface vegetation from a proposed development area. This will make it unsuitable for water voles and deter them from remaining in or entering the area. Once cleared the area can be kept clear of vegetation by scraping with a digger.

Habitats – Vegetation removal or reduction can encourage certain plant species or habitat types.

Hibernacula and log pile construction

We can construct hibernacula (mounds of rubble or similar covered with a topsoil layer) and log piles to enhance areas for reptiles and great crested newts. Reptiles can bask on log piles and both great crested newts and reptiles can overwinter in hibernacula. Where possible we use onsite materials to reduce costs and carbon footprint. All our hibernacula and log piles are constructed to the guidelines issued by Natural England and other relevant bodies.

Ponds

We can design and install ponds suitable for great crested newt breeding, for general wildlife interest in gardens and schools and to enhance areas for grass snakes, water voles and bats. Water voles can live at the edge of ponds, grass snakes forage in ponds and bats capture insects above them. Our ponds are built to comply with guidelines of Natural England or other relevant bodies.

Our ponds can be either natural or lined and we can also plant them with suitable native species. For great crested newts we can add plants with leaves suitable for newts to lay eggs on, such as water forget-me-not. Great crested newts use their back legs to fold leaves underwater around eggs they lay. We can also improve ponds for great crested newts and other wildlife by removing excess silt and vegetation.