Starting in January Acer Ecology will be running a whole range of online wildlife courses. The Ecology Training Courses 2024 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 Course (4 weeks online course) – October 2024
We will be re-running our ever popular Phase 1 Habitat Survey course in October 2024 on 8th, 15th 22nd and 29th October. This course will focus on introducing participants to the Phase 1 methodology to classify habitats. The Phase 1 Habitat Survey Course will consist of four evening Zoom sessions. Each session takes place at 7:00pm until 8:30pm. The course will cost £60 (inclusive of VAT), and all attendees will be issued with a certificate of attendance.
Biodiversity Net Gain Course (Distance Learning Course)
This online course using pre-recorded videos and exercises walks you through completing BNG assessments. There are 9 units within the course which will enable you to learn the skills required to undertake Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) assessments. The course costs £300 inclusive of VAT. Basis computer skills including IT/QGIs skills are required.
Plant Identification Course (March to October 2025)
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.
BatExplorer Training Course (Online – 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.
Winter Tree ID Course (4 weeks online course) – November 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th 2024 – 7pm until 8.30pm)
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. The course will be held via sessions by zoom. It will be priced at £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 during the zoom sessions.
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 put together a new course. You can view our entire course repertoire here.
- To book on 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.
The following courses took place earlier in 2024.
Introduction to QGIS Course (Online) – two week course – 5th and 12th March 2024
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 online via zoom on 5th and 12th March 2024 from 6pm until 8pm. A reasonable level of computer literacy is recommended.
Otter Ecology and Survey – Hybrid Course 14th March 2024
This hybrid course covers otter legislation, ecology and surveying. The fieldwork will take place at from 10am until 1pm. The fieldwork will commence at Fourteen Locks Canal Centre, Cwm Lane, Rogerstone, Newport NP10 9GN and will involve a walk of around 6km.
The hybrid element of the course will cover the following topics:
- Otter biology and ecology
- Identifying otters and their field signs
- Legal status of otters
- Otters and development.
The course costs £60 including VAT.
UK Habs Course April 2rd, 10th and 17th
We will be re-running a UK Habs course in April 2024. This course will focus on introducing participants to the UK Habs methodology to classify habitats. The course will consist of three evening Zoom sessions. Each session takes place at 6:00pm until 7:30pm. The course will cost £60 (inclusive of VAT), and all attendees will be issued with a certificate of attendance.
