Bringing you all the latest in ecological matters and news from the ECOSA team, we will keep you updated on relevant events and inform of any legislation changes that may affect your project. You can also keep up with us on the go at LinkedIn
11 January 2023
ECOSA are jumping feet first into the new and exciting world of UKHab. Our ecologists are always looking for ways to improve and streamline their ecological survey work and ultimately provide their clients with the best possible service. This means keeping up to date with industry changes and trialling new survey methods and tools.
UKHab (UK Habitat) is a new habitat classification system that is designed to provide a simple and robust approach to carrying out habitat surveys. It covers a wide range of terrestrial and water-based habitat types and assists the humble ecologist in identifying, recording and categorising habitats on development sites.
For many years, ecological consultancies have been using the Phase 1 Habitat Classification system for their surveys. Terms such as 'semi-improved grassland' and 'scattered trees' will be familiar old friends to the consultant ecologist, however times are changing. In an ecology world where Biodiversity Net Gain is dominating the conversation, survey methods must evolve and adapt to meet new requirements.
ECOSA is doing just that. In recent months we have been trialling the new UKHab classification system on a number of our habitat surveys and developing new report templates to clearly present our results.
Eventually, we intend to move over to UKHab wholesale. This will be a hugely beneficial shift as our data will be compatible with the DEFRA Metric 3.1 calculator tool (and any future versions) which is used to determine Biodiversity Net Gain for development sites. No more conversion tables!
UKHab is the future and ECOSA are on board. If you need ecological advice or require ecological survey work for your development, the ECOSA team is here to help. Get in touch on 02380 261065 or email admin@ecosa.co.uk.
