Our Blog

Leisure developments form a significant and diverse part of our work, ranging from urban parks and active travel infrastructure through to woodland lodges, glamping sites and major visitor attractions in highly sensitive landscapes. These schemes are often driven by visitor numbers, experience and operational flexibility, which means ecological effects are closely linked to how people use places, not just where development occurs.

Great crested newt (GCN) surveys are needed when a development is planned within 500m of a pond or similar water body. They need to be carried out between March/April and June.

The UK Government has set ambitious targets to deliver 1.5 million new homes over the next five years. For developers, understanding which types of land have potential to be brought forward for housing, and the ecological constraints and opportunities associated with them, is critical to successful and timely project delivery.

As biodiversity net gain becomes a routine part of the planning process, developers are increasingly required to submit a 30-year Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan, often referred to as an HMMP.

Visitor surveys are a cornerstone of ecological assessment where recreational pressure has the potential to affect designated sites.

Barn owls (Tyto alba) are one of the UK’s most iconic and well-loved bird species. They are also afforded strong legal protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), including Schedule 1 protections relating to disturbance during breeding.

Simple bat mitigation with real results. Bat mitigation does not need to be complex or expensive to deliver meaningful ecological outcomes. With early planning, proportionate design and skilled workmanship, even small interventions can make a significant difference.

The climate crisis is a threat to human health and the economy, and it’s also the biggest threat to nature right now - from iconic species to our most cherished landscapes. Writing our first ESG report has given me the opportunity to reflect on how our commitment to net-zero aligns with our core purpose of protecting and enhancing biodiversity.

DLL (District Level Licensing) takes a landscape approach to the conservation of great crested newts - moving away from traditional site-by-site mitigation. If you’re planning a development where great crested newts may be found, you may not have to carry out your own surveys, build mitigation ponds or arrange for the newts to moved to an alternative location.

In September's issue of CIEEM's "In Practice" magazine, we look at how you might start a career in ecology. Laura Grant, Associate Director at Ecology by Design discusses less traditional routes in to the profession, how to make your application stand out and the top skills you'll need to build a successful career in the field (literally!).

We’re experiencing something called a “false autumn” according to the UK Met Office. This is when leaves drop and fruit ripens earlier than usual, triggered by prolonged dry spells and high temperatures. And as we all know, June and July were exceptionally hot with England recording its warmest June on record.

In 2025, CIEEM released an updated version of their Code of Professional Conduct to reflect developments in the sector, changing societal values, and the pressing need for collective environmental responsibility. This blog sets out to compare the new Code with its predecessor, highlighting the most significant changes and what they mean in practice for ecologists and environmental professionals.