Wildwood Ecology | Certified B Corporation™

👋🏻 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

😠 "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

👻 👻 👻 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

🌳 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

🙏 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

👋🏻 Say hello to Maddie Anderson who is one of our Assistant Ecologists over in our #Caerphilly Office. 👨🎓 Maddie completed both of her degrees (yes, that's two) at Swansea University where she studied as an undergraduate before completing a Master's Degree in Environmental Biology: Conservation and Resource Management. With Merit! 🌱 Maddie joined Wildwood Ecology | Certified B Corporation™ back in September 2021 and has been involved with many areas of our ecological work. She is now supporting her colleagues in what we like to call a Resource Co-ordinator' role. Which is a fancy way of saying she makes sure we know what we're doing, where and when. 👏 So, thank you Maddie, from us all at Wildwood Ecology.

🦇 Mitigation Measures and Biodiversity Design for Bats! 🏚️ We recently had an insightful onsite meeting advising our client on the best strategies for protecting bats roosting onsite. Several barn roofs have collapsed, and others are severely damaged, requiring urgent repairs to prevent further collapse and ensure safety. Thankfully for our client we have our highly experienced and knowledgeable team on the case, led by our Director of Ecology, Ivi Szaboova MSc MCIEEM Key Mitigation Measures Considered ⛑ Emergency Repairs with Care: Prioritise urgent repairs to prevent roof and wall collapses, with minimal disturbance to bat roosts. 🦇 Roost Preservation: Ensure alternative roosting sites are provided before starting repairs. Bat boxes and temporary roosts can help. ⛔ Exclusion Zones: Establish exclusion zones around known roosts to protect bats during construction activities. ⚒ Biodiversity Design: Incorporate bat-friendly features in the repair design, such as bat access points and roosting sites within the new structures. These measures not only safeguard the bat population but also enhance biodiversity on-site. Protecting wildlife and ensuring structural safety can go hand-in-hand with thoughtful planning and execution. 📸 We’re committed to creating sustainable solutions that respect and preserve our natural heritage. 🔍 Have you implemented any innovative mitigation measures for wildlife on your projects? Share your experiences and insights in the comments. Let’s work together to promote biodiversity and sustainable development! #BatConservation #BiodiversityDesign #SustainableConstruction #EcologicalConsulting #WildlifeProtection #MitigationMeasures

🦎 Reptile Translocation Success in South Wales! 🦎 We’re excited to share some highlights from our recent reptile translocation project near #Bridgend, South Wales. Our team, including our Assistant Ecologist Katherine (Kate) Wickens, has been hard at work ensuring the safe relocation of slow worms and other reptiles to a new, secure habitat. Maintaining strict biosecurity protocols is crucial to prevent the spread of diseases between sites and protect the health of the animals. Here’s what we’re doing: 🚿 Sanitisation: All equipment and footwear are thoroughly sanitized before and after each visit. 📦 Containment: Reptiles are carefully transported in clean, secure containers to minimise stress and potential contamination. ⌚ Monitoring: Regular health checks are conducted on relocated reptiles to ensure they are adapting well. These efforts are paying off! The slow worms have successfully settled into their new environment, and early signs indicate they are thriving. 🔍 Have you been involved in a translocation project? Share your experiences and best practices in the comments. Let's continue to improve our conservation efforts together! #ReptileTranslocation #Biosecurity #ConservationSuccess #SlowWorms #EcologicalConsulting #WildlifeProtection #SouthWales

🌍 Data Storage Solutions for Ecological and Environmental Consultants! 🦇📊 As ecological and environmental consultants, we’re increasingly relying on advanced technologies like Night Vision Aids (NVAs) and bat detectors to gather critical data for our projects. But with these innovations comes the challenge of managing vast amounts of data efficiently. How are you handling this data deluge? Here are a few tips we’ve found helpful: 🌥 Cloud Storage: Secure and scalable, cloud solutions like AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure are great for storing large datasets. They also offer easy access and collaboration across teams. 💽 Data Management Systems: Specialised software can help organise, analyse, and visualise your data, making it easier to derive actionable insights. ♻ Regular Backups: Ensure your data is backed up regularly to prevent any loss. Automated backup solutions can save time and reduce the risk of human error. 🚨 Data Security: Implement robust security protocols to protect sensitive ecological data from unauthorised access. 📠 Efficient Hardware: Invest in high-capacity external hard drives and SSDs for quick local storage and transfer of large files. 🚮 And let's not forget deleting stuff we actually don't need! Having a policy on data retention is a necessity so everyone knows how long data should be stored for, alongside GDPR (or other local legislation) We are investing on the hardware side at the moment, as the data we are obtaining after each survey is just immense! 💬 We’d love to hear from you! How do you manage your data from NVAs and bat detector recordings? Share your strategies, tools, and tips in the comments. Let's create a resourceful community to tackle these data challenges together! #EcologicalConsulting #EnvironmentalData #DataManagement #ConservationTech #CloudStorage #DataSecurity Photo by imgix on Unsplash

Project Management Training continues today. We have been preparing for this moment over the past 12 months. It's been challenging, dealing with 'change' as well as ensuring the change will benefit what we do and be seamless for our clients. After living with the new platform for a week we have identified some areas for discussion, but largely I think we are there. Phew! 👏 thanks to Liz Tobin for support and looking forward to the training this afternoon and for WorkflowMax by BlueRock by making the change easier (you guys must be exhausted) #WorkflowMax