About Great Crested Newt, Newt Habitat and Importance of Ecological Consultant

UK has special laws under the Wildlife and Countryside Act in place to protect the Great crested newt a species of the Salamandridae family. Though it can be commonly found it is not only the animal which is in danger but also newt habitat which includes small natural water bodies like ponds and ditches as well as land surrounding them up to 500 mtrs.

By law it is illegal to intentionally injure, kill or pet a great crested newt; possess anything derived from the amphibian whether live or dead; damage, destroy or obstruct way to newt habitat by any means as well as disturb or obstruct it from using the space it normally uses for habitat. These rules related to the protection of great crested newt has made it mandatory for any company interested to take up construction or development in such areas to get relevant license to begin construction.

Development companies thus have to first hire ecological consultant who can survey the area where the construction or development project is intended to begin. The survey should include details related to great crested newts found in the area and newt habitat. The license to the project can be obtained based on the findings of the survey done by the ecological consultant.

If there are many great crested newts in the area then you can opt for fencing so as to make sure that the development project does not disturb newts and newt habitat. Fencing also ensures that newts stay away from the site and so do not pose a problem for people on the site. Thus fencing ensures you do not disturb newts and they do not disturb you.

There are two main types of fencing namely temporary and permanent. Temporary fencing is for a period of less than 2 years and is quite different from permanent fencing so far as dimension and method of fencing are concerned.