Protected Species Surveys > Reptiles
All British reptiles are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) from killing and injury and this includes the more common species such as the grass snake, adder, slow worm, and common lizard as well as the rarer smooth snake and sand lizard which also enjoy a higher level of protection both under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and the Habitats Regulations 1994 (as amended) which together protects them from disturbance and damage/destruction of breeding and shelter habitat and obstruction to such habitat.
Greenwillows Associates personnel have the experience and expertise to undertake initial presence/absence surveys and the follow up services required to obtain planning permission such as designing and implementing habitat creation schemes and translocation programmes. Where adders are involved, only staff trained in handling dangerous reptiles are employed.
Greenwillows Associates also offers a complementary support service to other surveyors through the supply of artificial refugia survey mats and tiles. Where required these can be delivered to site and placed in situ. Our habitat management staff can also brush cut basking areas and transect paths to assist in the attraction of reptiles to the refugia and to facilitate ease of surveyor access without disturbing basking reptiles.
Our Checklist of Services which complies with national best practice standards includes:
- Desk study and data searches for historical biological records pertinent to the target site
- Field surveys and assessment of habitat suitability for all reptile species
- Presence/absence surveys incorporating supply and checking of a range of artificial survey refugia commonly referred to as ‘tinning'
- Design and implementation of mitigation strategies to maintain legal compliance and discharge of planning conditions
- Installation of temporary reptile fencing to exclude reptiles from the construction site
- Identification of suitable existing habitat for receptor sites and/or design and creation of new reptile habitat
- Translocation of reptiles to suitable new receptor sites
- Population monitoring to discharge planning conditions
