Surrey Wildlife Trust works to protect Surrey’s unique network of wildlife habitats through a comprehensive programme of data recording, ecological surveys and management plans.

Ecological Surveying [photo by Philip Harris-Jones]

Surrey Wildlife Trust Consultancy is a specialist service within the organisation offering environmental and ecological expertise to help protect Surrey's wildlife habitats.

Set up in 1991 Surrey Wildlife Trust Consultancy undertakes surveys and gives management advice to both the public and private sectors. Advice offered ranges from talking to householders about wildlife gardening to providing detailed management plans for landowners and compiling written survey reports prior to planning applications. Clients have included development companies, housebuilders, mineral and waste operators, private landowners, public authorities and individuals.

The Surrey Wildlife Trust Consultancy team are highly experienced, well-qualified professionals all dedicated to nature conservation. They have a diverse range of skills enabling a vast variety of projects to be carried out, everything from botanical studies to mammal surveys, in particular for dormice, otters and water voles, as well as mammal management and advising on potential mammal pest species.

Marble White butterflies on Pyramidal Orchid [photo by Eileen Taylor]

With the Local Biological Records Centre based at the Trust’s Pirbright headquarters, the team have direct access to the extensive RECORDER database to support their work. This database offers the most up-to-date status details on wildlife in Surrey.

Whenever appropriate the team will call upon the services of outside specialists to supplement their own findings and to provide more detailed information, for example bird surveys are carried out by licensed ornithologists, invertebrate experts are used to provide advice on butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, grasshoppers etc. Specialists on bats, badgers, reptiles and amphibians may all be used in this way.

Services Provided

Habitat Creation Advice

Advising people with gardens, parks, school grounds, churchyards and businesses on how to increase the wildlife benefits to their area.

Habitat Management

We lead practical work parties on larger sites addressing tasks such as scrub management, construction (such as footpaths and bird hides), interpretation boards and so on. All these projects are supervised by fully trained and, wherever necessary, licensed managers.

Wildlife and Habitat Management Plans

We compile these practical documents designed to maximise the nature conservation potential of a site, by gathering all available data and creating a work programme of practical tasks required for the site.

Ecological Surveys

Phase I, Phase II, National Vegetation Classification, River Habitat, Hedgerow and specialist surveys for specific plants, mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. We also carry out surveys to identify specific management requirements, aid interpretation and general appreciation as well as surveys to accompany ecological assessments prior to planning applications.

Ecological Monitoring

Phase III, specialist surveys and monitoring projects. To record effects of a habitat creation or management scheme as well as the effects after mitigation procedures.

Geographic Information System (GIS) and Data Extractions

We use extensive database information to supply detailed maps and precise summary information.

Clients

In recent years we have provided a wide variety of ecological services to statutory and non-statutory bodies including Surrey County Council, local authorities, English Nature and the Environment Agency. Other clients have included consultancies, developers, public and private businesses, schools and private individuals.

Recent Projects

Horsell Common SSSI

Ecological monitoring of a site adjacent to the SSSI for a developer including botanical, reptile, invertebrate and bird surveys.

Chertsey Meads

Management advice in the form of an in-depth management plan for an important hay meadow on behalf of Runnymede Borough Council.

Blackhorse Woods

Management plan for a wet woodland and stream, including otter holt construction and educational work.

Johnsons Wax

With a variety of habitats around their headquarter buildings, we were asked for advice on site management and carried out specialist surveys which lead to a complete management plan.

Woking Pond

New habitat creation in a private garden.

Ashtead & Epsom Commons

Detailed NVC communities on this important site. This will help with management aims and as a valuable historical baseline for the future.

So if you would like some advice on creating a new habitat or enhancing an existing one or perhaps require an ecological survey or need some practical work carried out, we can help.