We recently carried out Great Crested Newt (GCN) presence/ absence surveys near Coleford in the Forest of Dean. Our licensed GCN specialists utilised the bottle trapping, torching and egg search techniques. We were then able to work alongside our client and their architect to ensure that the development progressed through planning smoothly, without directly harming any GCN or adversely affecting the aquatic and terrestrial habitats that they rely on.
Surveys for great crested newt are seasonally constrained to the period mid-March to mid-June when great crested newts are present in their breeding ponds. Outside of this season terrestrial surveys using drift fencing and pitfall traps can be undertaken to determine their presence in terrestrial habitats. It is, therefore, crucial to identify the presence of GCN at an early stage in the planning process, in order to avoid timely and costly delays
We are able to provide GCN surveys throughout the Forest of Dean and the wider area, including Lydney, Cinderford, Mitcheldean, Soudley, Lydbrook, Monmouth, Ross on Wye, Newent, the Wye Valley, and the Cotswolds, Our ecologists are also well placed to serve the surrounding counties of Gloucestershire, including Somerset, Bristol, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, and Monmouthshire.
Great crested newts are fully protected under the UK and European law and are frequently encountered on development sites. It is an offence to kill, capture, or disturb them, or to damage or destroy their ponds. This protection extends to the habitats which support great crested newt and it is generally assumed that the species might be present in terrestrial habitats up to 500m of a breeding pond, depending on habitat quality, connectivity, and population size.
For more information about great crested newt surveys, or any of our other ecological services, please call us on 02920 650331, or email us at enquiries@acerecology.co.uk.
Further information about great crested newts can be found in our articles Get The “Newt” Know How On Great Crested Newt Surveys, Great Crested Newts – How We Can Help You and A Year in the Life of a Great Crested Newt.