District Licensing for great crested newts – 5 Years In

Our Head of Science Dr Andrew Buxton MCIEEM, along with colleagues from our partner organisations the Newt Conservation Partnership (NCP), and Freshwater Habitats Trust (FHT) were speakers at the international conference on pond conservation Ponderful. Andrew was preceded by talks on how pond creation is undertaken under the District Licencing Scheme by Dr Pascale Nicolet of the Newt Conservation Partnership and Freshwater Habitats Trust, and Ioannis Chalkias (NCP) presenting on the colonisation of compensation ponds by great crested newts, as well as their suitability for the species. Andrew took the opportunity to present some more detailed evaluation analysis that has been undertaken, demonstrating the statistically significant gains the scheme is having to landscape suitability for the species.

Following the 2023 monitoring programme, an evaluation phase began to assess the first five years of the scheme’s impact. This review focused on the outcomes for great crested newts, developers, local authorities, and the broader environment and is still ongoing. Andrew presented data on habitat loss and gain, pond occupancy in newly created habitats, and how these figures compared to expected background occupancy levels for the region.

Andrew also delved into a more detailed analysis of key Favourable Conservation Status objectives, looking at the results of actions taken under the District Licence, focussing on the local-scale effects in areas surrounding both impact and compensation sites.