Winter is traditionally a quieter time for ecologists. We use the time to reflect on the busy season of the previous year and develop and improve our skills to provide an even more efficient and client-focussed service.

While winter 2016/17 hasn’t exactly been quiet for us (hibernating bats anyone?) we have used the time to  develop and contribute to best practice. We’re delighted to be a co-sponsor of CIEEM‘s new bat mitigation strategies research. The research will aim to identify and standardise mitigation measures, meaning that developers have a clear steer on what types of avoidance, mitigation and compensation measures are needed on their projects. LUC works hard to make sure our advice is proportionate, practical and deliverable, so we’re excited about supporting this research. In Scotland, our team is heavily involved in the development of the Ecological Clerk of Works role. We’re currently preparing a series of presentations and workshops to contribute to the first AEECoW conference in Glasgow in March.

As we inch closer and closer to spring we’ll be adding to our ecology teams in London, Bristol and Glasgow. We’re excited about bringing new skills and experience in-house so look out for upcoming announcements as we grow our ecology capacity with experienced ecologists.