Wildwood Ecology | Certified B Corporation™

🦇 🦇 🦇 Bat Licensing in England🦇 🦇 🦇 - update to our service offering: For over eight years now Wildwood Ecology | Certified B Corporation™ have been able to offer our clients a quicker and more efficient way to allow development works to proceed where roosting bats are present. Our Managing Director, Richard Dodd, was the first approved Registered Consultant with Natural England to be able to implement what is commonly referred to as a 'Low Impact' mitigation licence for bats. Our Principal Ecologist, Ivi Szaboova MSc MCIEEM is also a Registered Consultant with Natural England. A Registered Consultant with Natural England has proven they are 'suitably experienced and qualified' bat ecologists. This has meant that for the past eight years we have saved our client time, money and, quite possibly, some stress where a small number of 'roosting' bats have been identified on their sites. Natural England have now launched an updated procedure for people to notify Natural England of an intention to 'disturb' roosting bats. As a Registered Consultant with Natural England, will now be able to use our professional judgement to determine the most appropriate route for addressing disturbance impacts to bats, and when Natural England would expect the notification approach to be used. What this means for our Client's: For some additional sites where 'low-level disturbance' to bats is likely then we have another option to explore with the potential to save project time and inconvenience. NOTE: this service can only be implemented by a 'suitably experienced and qualified ecologist', such as a Registered Consultant with Natural England. Wildwood Ecology have Registered Consultants ready and able to provide this service. If you are already a client, you will benefit from this additional service straight away. If you are not currently a Client and believe this service may be a better route and your current ecologist is NOT a Registered Consultant, then please do get in touch to see how we can help you today.

👋🏻 Say hello to Erin Baker who is our Client Engagement Manager (CEM) based in our #Stroud Office. 🤝 Erin has been with Wildwood Ecology | Certified B Corporation™ sine November 2023 (less than one year) and although she started as Sales Administrator, when an opportunity arose to take on the role of CEM, Erin seized the opportunity with both hands. 👯 For over 5 years, Erin also managed all aspects of running a dance school including marketing, scheduling, payroll, performance logistics, the recruitment of new teachers and business development. 👨🎓 Erin then went on to complete an Ecology and Environmental Science degree at University of Gloucestershire in 2023 after returning to education as a mature student and looking after two small children. 🍭 She is a Trustee with Allsorts Gloucestershire, a charity that supports families with a disabled child, and acts as a voice of the service user. If you would like to find out more about them and hopefully make a donation to this amazing charity, then you can do so by following this link: https://lnkd.in/eGNjxhnQ 💪 If there were awards for tenacity, resilience and a 'can-do' attitude, then Erin would be a multi-award winner. She is simply one of those people who just gets things done and nothing seems like a problem that cannot be just resolved by simply talking to people. 🌞 Erin is simply a bright beaming light we all need in our lives. 👏 So, thank you Erin, from us all at Wildwood Ecology.

🙏 Thanks for welcoming us at the B Local Gloucestershire Launch & A Regenerative Economy event yesterday evening at the historic Llanthony Priory, Gloucester. Event chaired by Dr. Stewart Barnes and curated by our co-chairs Camilla Barnes Katharina Child Charlie Haward Victoria Petkovic-Short. Congratulations all on a successful launch to you all. Professor Malcolm Prowle shared some highlights from his recently published book ‘Global Climate Change: A Realistic View of the Future’ and how we can move towards a regenerative economy and deal with the challenges he identifies in his book.   An inspiring presentation from Justin Young, on how Cotteswold Dairy Ltd have used the Good Dividends model as they move towards being a sustainable and responsible business. And Dr Cathia Jenainati, who talked about the Three Pillars of the future direction of the Business School University of Gloucestershire - Social Justice, Gender, and Sustainability, which are key contributors in a regenerative economy. Thanks also for the discussions with Jo Draper, Keeley Witts, Greg Pilley, John Shelley & Pete Allison (County Business Shows) #BLocalGloucestershire #RegenerativeEconomy #GoodDividends #BCorp #BCurious

🌳 The Benefits of Tree Climbing Surveys for Bat Conservation! 🦇 Tree Climbing Surveys, also known as Aerial Tree Inspections, are an invaluable technique for assessing the suitability of trees to support roosting bats. This specialist survey method requires additional training and qualifications for ecologists and arborists, ensuring thorough and accurate assessments. Why Tree Climbing Surveys? 🎯 Improved Data, Means Better Results: Ground Level Tree Assessment (GLTA) looking for bat roosts is not always reliable. Climbing allows for close inspection of potential roosting sites, such as cavities, cracks, and loose bark, that aren't visible from the ground. 🔦 Efficiency: Where an aerial inspection identifies the need for further ground-based bat surveys, these can be better targeted on those features which are most suitable for bats. This ensures we are able to carry out the surveys as efficiently as possible. ⛑ Enhanced Safety: Trained professionals ensure that surveys are conducted safely, protecting both the climbers and the wildlife. During a recent site visit to Cirencester Park, our combined ecology (Peter Hacker) and arborist team (Misho Baxendale) conducted a thorough tree-climbing survey following a dawn back-tracking survey for bats 🦇 . This collaborative effort allowed us to prioritise our climbing inspections on trees with the highest likelihood of bat presence, which has enabled our client to make better decisions on their proposed works. The results were promising, providing detailed insights into potential roosting sites and helping us develop effective conservation strategies. 📸 Check out some highlights from our tree-climbing adventure! 🔍 Have you utilised tree climbing surveys in your projects? Share your experiences and benefits you've observed. #TreeClimbingSurveys #BatConservation #EcologicalConsulting #Arboriculture #AerialTreeInspections #WildlifeProtection #CirencesterPark

👻 👻 👻 Who you gonna call? 👻 👻 👻 Sorry, that just popped into my head when looking at tech, old buildings and night time activities. Anyone else think the same? Just me then. Ouch 🙄 This year we are deploying (great word) a range of Infra Red (IR) devices and these Nightfox Whisker night vision binoculars are some of our favourites to use. Great quality results, clear images and super simple to set up. Couple this with one of our favourite bat detectors, the Elekon Batlogger M2 and we are set for a good evening. The use of Night Vision Aids (NVAs) helps us literally see in the dark and can aid our assessment of a site. Before, sometimes we may have played safe and if a bat was seen to exit or enter a feature, we would have called that a roost (precautionary principal). Now, we can say for sure if it exited or entered, or not! Still room for error, but those errors are lower than 5-10 years ago. So, who ya gonna call? No, not them, but Wildwood Ecology | Certified B Corporation™ Now, who needs a drone survey? #WildlifeTechnology #InfraRed #Elekon #Nightfox #Bats #BatSurvey #Gloucestershire

😠 "Why do we need an ecologist to check this bit of scrub before we remove it - it's holding up our work" 👂 Sound familiar? We understand our clients and contractors frustrations - time is money no doubt, but we also want to keep them not only on the right side of wildlife legislation, but from any moral dilemma's: I mean, who would want to knowingly kill these beautiful animals! Our ecologists over in our #Caerphilly found a wren's nest with 4 chicks present. Mother was a tad annoyed with the attention, to say the least. Thanks to Katherine (Kate) Wickens for the photos. On this occasion our wonderful clients had other areas to manage and so this 'minor' delay was not an issue to them. Actually, some of the contractors stopped works (briefly) to have a look, bless them! We don't stop works, we enable them. #Wren #ECOW #Ecoogy

Well, you wouldn't want to live here... unless you're a bat of course! 🦇 Last week we deployed a motion-sensing 'BatCam' for testing the effectiveness of detecting bats inside a loft, with the aim to confirm the number of bats using the building. This innovative new monitoring equipment, when combined with traditional bat detectors, can provide data for additional certainty to reduce the risk of delays during the planning and licence application process. 🤔 Will it work? Will it be a new survey technique? What will we learn? ❓ More questions than answers at the moment. What are you experimenting with at the moment? #innovation #experimentation #failfast #learning #batsurvey

👋🏻 Say hello to Beth Lewis who is one of our Consultant Ecologists over in our #Caerphilly Office. 👨🎓 Beth completed her Zoology degree at Bangor University and then went on to complete a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education in Outdoor Education. 🗻 With a PGCE in Outdoor Education, it is of no surprise that Beth enjoys all things outdoor related. From hiking to climbing, camping, kayaking and paddle boarding, she is not far from the lovely Welsh landscape. And in 2022 she completed the Welsh 3 Peaks Challenge to raise funds for Mountain Rescue. Phew! 🌱 Beth recently joined Wildwood Ecology | Certified B Corporation™ back in February 2023 and has been involved with many areas of our ecological work. In that short space of time she has been promoted from Assistant to Consultant Ecologist. Obviously, a high flyer! 😀 In April of this year Beth, alongside her colleague, Jack, led a workshop looking at how we can make better use of the way we digitise our habitat mapping. The team found it highly useful and are more confident in using the survey tablets out in the field. 👏 So, thank you Beth, from us all at Wildwood Ecology. #OutdoorPursuits #Leadership #Bangor #Wales #Ecology #DigitalTechnology

Here's a recent response (unedited) about Wildwood Ecology | Certified B Corporation™ 'generated' by ChatGPT: Wildwood Ecology is a well-regarded ecological consultancy based in the UK, with offices in Stroud and Caerphilly. Established in 2008, the company offers a wide range of ecological services, including surveys and professional advisory services. They have expertise in areas such as bat surveys, newt surveys, reptile surveys, bird and barn owl surveys, dormouse surveys, otter and water vole surveys, and biodiversity net gain (BNG) assessments. One of the standout aspects of Wildwood Ecology is their commitment to sustainability and ethical business practices. They were the first ecological consultancy in the UK to certify as a B Corporation, which means they meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. This certification underscores their dedication to using business as a force for good and promoting sustainable development【5†source】【7†source】. Customer reviews of Wildwood Ecology are generally positive, highlighting their professionalism, responsiveness, and quality of service. Clients appreciate their ability to navigate complex ecological requirements and provide effective solutions that balance development needs with environmental conservation【5†source】. However, some feedback from their training programs suggests there could be improvements in the structure and delivery of certain courses, particularly in ensuring that the material is appropriately targeted for the experience level of participants【6†source】. Overall, Wildwood Ecology comes highly recommended for their strong ethical values, extensive expertise, and positive client feedback. They are a reputable choice for anyone needing ecological consultancy services in the UK. ---- FYI: I used the following simple prompt "Tell me what you know about the ecological consultancy, Wildwood Ecology, and would you recommend their services?" You will notice it uses sources for the information and searched 4 different sites to generate this review. Okay, some of it is generalised and blandish non-committal or scathing (I think the job of a true critic is safe), and it also used parts of our own website to find out information about us (I would), but I was curious following a recent post by Heather Murray to see what ChatGPT 'currently' knows about us. Anyhow, good to know our ethical values should be considered as a USP! What is AI saying about you? PS - I also asked Claude, but no return using the same prompt.

Well, you wouldn't want to live here... unless you're a bat of course! 🦇 Last week we deployed a motion-sensing 'BatCam' for testing the effectiveness of detecting bats inside a loft, with the aim to confirm the number of bats using the building. This innovative new monitoring equipment, when combined with traditional bat detectors, can provide data for additional certainty to reduce the risk of delays during the planning and licence application process. 🤔 Will it work? Will it be a new survey technique? What will we learn? ❓ More questions than answers at the moment. What are you experimenting with at the moment? #innovation #experimentation #failfast #learning #batsurvey