Acer Ecology is well placed to carry out Great Crested Newt surveys across Wiltshire.
We use a combination of survey techniques to survey for great crested newts (GCN), including bottle trapping, torching, egg searches, netting and refugia searches. It’s vital to identify the presence of newts on site at an early stage in the planning process.
Failure to do this can lead to costly and timely delays further down the line in the planning process.
We work alongside our clients to ensure pragmatic solutions to their ecological issues while maintaining the ecological integrity of the site.
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
Acer Ecology’s licensed Great Crested Newt specialists are able to provide surveys throughout Wiltshire, including Chippenham, Malmesbury, Devizes, Trowbridge, Warminster, Salisbury, Cranborne, Amesbury and Tidworth. We are also able to serve the surrounding counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Dorset and Somerset.
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 650 331, 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.
