This newsflash has just been received from Natural England announcing the withdrawal of its reptile mitigation guidelines.

Consultants and interested parties are being encouraged to provide contributions to the re-drafting process, but the contact details do not appear to be on the NE web site but can be found on the IEEM web site. Please feel free to add a comment below.

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Natural England has launched new guidelines on survey and site mitigation for reptiles, producing a single set of standards for good practice in reptile ecology work. It is aimed at developers, local authorities and consultants.

All species of reptile are now on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) priority list, so their conservation has to be taken into account during the planning process, whenever a site supports populations of grass snake, slow worm, common lizard or other reptiles.

Our consultant ecologist Kelly Clark writes;

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Natural England has released new mitigation guidelines for reptiles. The pdf is available for download here TIN102.

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As well as testing the SM2 in the field, Baker Consultants has this week returned from a lab testing session with Dr Fiona Mathews, lecturer in mammalian biology at Exeter University. more

Kelly, Susan and Fred are this week at the amazing Field Studies council in Malham Tarn learning about Grasses, sedges and rushes more

Is it possible that there could be a user friendly, waterproof, effective and affordable remote monitoring device? We're hoping so. more

It’s the silly season; dusk and dawn surveys, torchlight surveys of ponds, and bottle trapping. Some would say that this is why we do the job, being out in the field, seeing amazing sunrises, and beautiful landscapes. We say that too! more

Our 2010 CPD schedule is attached here. It includes training on birds and windfarms, anabats and associated gadgets, public inquiries and contract management. Although this is mainly training offered free to our core team and associates, if you really fancy coming along, we might be able to squeeze you in! more

Phew-ey! (writes Kelly) We have moved 45 slow worms this week alone - bringing our slow worm total to 198. Some have been painted with pink nail varnish (No7 Rose truffle to be precise) to make sure i'm not catching the same ones more

After 7 days on site, I thought it was time to give you an insight into what has happened so far. Legacy habitat have put in the fence along the phase1 receptor site (although due to rubble could not follow the embankment to the north). We then carried out a destructive search of all the rubble/debris left at the north of the site. more