By Rowan Avery

When I joined NatureSpace six months ago it was immediately apparent that I was entering a dedicated, extremely knowledgeable and passionate team of conservationists. I’d become fascinated with amphibians whilst working at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, so I leapt at the chance to become part of a pioneering conservation project as a Technical Officer at NatureSpace.

A scheme for developers large and small

I sit at ‘the coalface’ of NatureSpace’s South Midlands District Licensing Scheme. My role involves responding to enquiries, speaking with clients and producing our reports and certificates. The scheme is growing so there is a constant turnaround of cases to handle which keeps me very busy.

The District Licensing Scheme is  beneficial to developers  of all sizes, so I deal with a wide  variety of projects which keeps the job interesting – from householders building a simple extension to major developers working on multi-phase schemes comprising hundreds of homes.

The intricacies of assessment

A key  part of my role is to assess each development proposal’s impact on great crested newts, using a standardised process which is part of the District Licence and approved by Natural England.

There is a strict protocol to follow which  ensures each assessment is conducted in a fair and impartial manner, with a precautionary principle adopted throughout. It’s a robust process to quantify the impacts of each development, which takes in a remarkable amount of detail about the habitats on and off-site.

Taking just one aspect, for example, the landscape which surrounds each site is assessed to establish how much habitat is available to newts, how well connected it is and how the development proposals would impact that habitat network. It’s remarkable how much landscape-scale connectivity there is in some urban landscapes, especially in Milton Keynes with its green networks criss-crossing the city. Something I’ve grown to appreciate in this job is that great crested newts can often turn up where you least expect them! 

Each assessment is unique, which is why I’m incredibly fortunate to have world-class expertise on great crested newt ecology, conservation and licensing within our Partnership, who I can consult with any queries.

Recently, I found an unusual feature in a newt habitat network; when I asked colleagues for  more information I was quickly presented with a trio of published journal articles which informed my assessment. I couldn’t ask for a better team to work with and I think this expertise is a real cornerstone of the NatureSpace District Licensing Scheme.

Going beyond my day job!

The job isn’t all about assessing sites, though. I had a great time at the Herpetological Workers’ Meeting in Southport in February, where I enjoyed chatting with lots of knowledgeable ecologists, not just about our scheme but also amphibians more generally.

I was fascinated by the range of presentations, which included questions about what constitutes a native species and how great crested newt conservation provides wider benefits beyond the species itself.

We also get to enjoy site visits to our compensation sites which is really motivating because I know that every individual developer which I help to join the NatureSpace scheme is ultimately contributing to the creation of these fantastic habitats for great crested newts.