Acer Ecology will be running a whole range of online wildlife courses. The Ecology Training Courses 2025 are aimed at anyone with an interest in local wildlife but could also be useful for undergraduate and postgraduate students, anybody currently working or intending to work in ecological consultancy, or for environmental organisations. Whether you’re interested in identifying the wild plants that you encounter during walks in the countryside, the newts in your local pond or the birds visiting the feeder, our ecology training courses will have something for you.
Phase 1 Habitat Survey & UK HAB Course (Online & Self-Study Course)
The course runs through a combination of taught online learning (around 25 hours) and self-study (around 20 hours). The course provides an introduction to the Phase 1 Habitat Survey & UK Hab survey methodologies enabling participants to use these methodologies to classify habitats. The course costs £60 (inclusive of VAT), and all attendees will be issued with a certificate of attendance.
Biodiversity Net Gain Course (Self-study Course)
This online course using pre-recorded videos and exercises walks you through completing BNG assessments. There are 12 units within the course which will enable you to learn the skills required to undertake Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) assessments. The course costs £150 inclusive of VAT. Basis computer skills are required.
Plant Identification Course (March to October 2025) – Self-study Course
The course starts in March and finishes in October following the flowering season.
This course is accessible for absolute beginners and is ideal for those who would like to improve their plant identification skills. The course teaches participants how to identify plants systematically based on family characteristics and not just by simple recognition. This helps participants build up their confidence in their plant identification skills.
As part of the course, you will improve your identification and observational skills, become conversant with botanical terminology, become confident in using floras and botanical keys, learn the key diagnostic features of our commonest plant families and develop an approach which will help you to identify plants accurately.
There are 27 units, which will be made available as the season progresses from March until October. The course costs £250 inclusive of VAT.
Great Crested Newt Licence Training Theory Course (Self-study Course)
This five-module self-study course covers the theory of great crested newt licence training. The course covers the following modules:
- Newt identification
- Newt ecology
- Survey methodology
- Habitat Suitability Index Assessment
- Legislation and Mitigation
The course costs £75 (inclusive of VAT), and all attendees will be issued with a certificate of attendance. The course can be taken at any time.
Bat Licence Training Theory Course (Self-study Course)
This 13-module self-study course covers the theory of bat licence training. The course covers the following modules:
- Introduction to Bat Licences in England, Wales and Scotland
- Maintaining a log-book
- Architectural terms of buildings
- Preliminary Roost Assessments
- Surveying buildings
- Surveying trees
- Dusk emergence surveys
- Bat sound analysis
- Hibernation surveys
- Bat identification
- Bats and lighting
- Transect Surveys
- Bat mitigation
The course costs £300 (inclusive of VAT), and all attendees will be issued with a certificate of attendance. The course can be taken at any time.
Dormouse Licence Training Theory Course (Self-study Course)
This online, self-study course consists of 6 pre-recorded modules you can complete in your own time, covering the theory of surveying for dormice in the field. No prior knowledge of small mammals or dormouse ecology is required, making this course suitable for enthusiasts as well as professionals, but it may be of particular interest to people who are considering becoming licensed dormouse surveyors in the future.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
• Distinguish our three major groups of small mammals – mice, voles and shrews – and confidently identify hazel dormice and their field signs.
• Choose the most appropriate survey methods for a variety of ecological projects.
• Understand how to manage woodland effectively for dormice, using knowledge built from real-life case studies.
• Summarise the most important legislation protecting dormice in the UK.
The course costs £75 (inclusive of VAT) and includes a certificate of attendance for all participants.
BatExplorer Training Course (Self-study Course)
This exercise-based online self-learning course aimed at beginners and intermediate users will give participants the knowledge and skills to use the Bat Explorer software to analyse bat survey recordings and present their findings of surveys using the Batlogger or other bat detectors. This course requires only a very basic knowledge of bats and bat ecology, and the identification features illustrated will apply to a range of different software. This course will provide an introduction to both BatExplorer and how they can be used to analyse bat recordings. The course will cost £60 (inclusive of VAT), and all attendees will be issued with a certificate of attendance. The course can be taken at any time.
Summer Tree ID Course (6-Week Self-study course)
This 6-week course teaches attendees the skills to identify trees in summer. This course will take you through the key features of different tree species to improve your summer identification skills. This is a self-study course with access to an experienced botanist if you need any additional tips or help. The cost of the course is £50 per person (VAT inclusive) and all attendees will be issued with a certificate of attendance. Homework will be set during each week to build upon the work undertaken each week.
Introduction to QGIS Course (Online) – c20 Hour Self-study Course
This online course introduces the use of QGIS (an Open Source Geographic Information System (GIS)) and will explain how QGIS software can be used to undertake a range of ecological mapping functions. By the end of the course, you should be able to draw a UK Habs habitat map using QGIS software and use the Natural England net gain QGIS files. We will also use QGIS to undertake a range of other mapping tasks such as creating buffers. The course will cost £60 per person (inclusive of VAT), and all attendees will be issued with a certificate of attendance. The course will run as a self-study course taking approximately 20 hours. In addition, you can have access to an experienced tutor if you require any additional support. A reasonable level of computer literacy is recommended.
Winter Tree ID Course (4-Week Self-study course)
This 4-week course teaches attendees the skills to identify trees in winter. Without their leaves and fruits as distinguishing features, trees can be difficult to differentiate and identify. This course will take you through the key features of different tree species to improve your winter identification skills. This is a self-study course with access to an experienced botanist if you need any additional tips or help. The cost of the course is £60 per person (VAT inclusive) and all attendees will be issued with a certificate of attendance. Homework will be set during each week to build upon the work undertaken each week.
Additional Information
- All attendees of our courses will be issued with a certificate of attendance.
- If we don’t have a course listed that you would like us to run, please get in touch! We can run bespoke courses for organisations, or if we have enough interest in your idea, we may consider putting together a new course. You can view our entire course repertoire here.
- To book onto a course, please email us at enquiries@acerecology.co.uk to request a booking form.
If you would like to enrol on any of our courses, or if you require further information, email us on enquiries@acerecology.co.uk or call us on 029 2065 0331.
