The introduction of biodiversity net gain has caused a significant increase in The Landscape Partnership's ecology consultancy workload, and sadly we have had to decline to quote for some projects. We just can't do all the work we would like to. Recruitment at senior levels is challenging across the profession, so we can't just magic up new staff. I'm interested to hear how widespread my experience is, and if the development industry is managing to cope. Developers, are you finding it hard to get ecology consultants to help with BNG? Have you had projects delayed because of consultant shortages? Or are you, hopefully, having no issues in this regard? Ecology consultants, are you able to satisfy all developers who ask you for work, or are you too having to decline to quote? (pic of bat droppings in someone's roof, because I wasn't sure how to illustrate the question!!)
John Shephard
5mo
Nick Sibbett - we appreciate your openness and can confirm that the ecology profession is under considerable stress, leading to delays in engagement and execution of new instructions for planning projects for which the national mandatory BNG requirements make it essential for an ecologist to be an integral part of the team and early input necessary, rather than to try and 'bolt-on' the BNG proposals at the end of the overall design process.
Anne Westover
5mo
Nick, it would be good to convene discussion, training and local thoughts on this topic. I have many concerns and queries. ESC/Woodbridge perhaps, link up with other professionals and volunteers too? I can ask ESC contacts. thanks Anne
Richard Dodd
5mo
Nick Sibbett It's not only a shortage of ecologists, but over the past 12 months our sector has seen a rapid increase in the requirement for additional information, not just for BNG. This means that we as ecologists have to provide further information within our reports to satisfy LPAs meet statutory duties. What our clients can expect, therefore, is an increase in fees this year for similar services. The extra time required before an ecologist goes on site, whilst on site and post-site will clearly have an immediate knock-on effect to the fees we quote to our clients, who will be clearly looking at managing their costs. At Wildwood Ecology we are communicating with our clients to inform them of these recent changes and of course the upward trend of fees and time as a result of these changes. We, as ecologists, need to improve our Project Management skills, as our projects are becoming more complex. Unfortunately, some ecologists are leaving as we need to train them up not only in new survey methods, but these multi-faceted 'commercial awareness' skills. My closing comments for those engaging the services of an ecologist: secure their services as early as possible, keep hold of them, and expect an increase in their fees.
Richard Crompton
5mo
Almost every company I work with is struggling to recruit senior ecologists, and the salary expectations of some graduates are eye-watering - often for someone that can barely identify a common tree or plant species and in some cases doesn't have a driving licence. I think the cash sloshing around with HS2 work has had a detrimental effect on the industry (but good luck to those who have managed to get a slice - make sure you invest some of it in your pension and critical illness/sick cover, and don't spend it all all on new gadgets!).
Francis Hesketh
5mo
Yes indeed enquiries up at least 50% and we are having to look after loyal clients as best we can while of course wanting to prioritise projects that deliver good outcomes such as decarbonisation. Lots of factors at play for example habitat banks, Natural England, water companies, local authorities and digital ecology companies all wanting to recruit ecologists. It’s a happy problem for the sector as a whole but May and June are the toughest months. Personally I would hope that our professional bodies can issue a memo to LPA’s to explain the shortage of ecologists and in particular to accept a lesser intensity of bat surveys in situations of low immediate risk to the species. That may take some of the pressure off these the toughest months
Lee R.
5mo
Massive shortage of senior and above in the industry because they keep leaving to set their own companies up 😬 I know the company I was at was struggling.
Peter Wilkins
5mo
At least the BNG user guidance documents are well written, professionally formatted and easy to navigate. I am also certain the LPAs are well resourced and ready to deal with the increased workload.
Jonathan Gatward
5mo
If anyone needs help with using GIS in the BNG process then I am happy to help. I've been using ArcPro and QGIS for BNG mapping and area calculation for the past 3 years and run QGIS for BNG courses. If you would like to know more about using GIS to help streamline your BNG assessments or want someone to take in the habitat mapping aspects from field survey markups or mobile mapping apps, then do get in touch.
This is such a shame to hear, you shouldn't have to turn down projects because there aren't enough ecologists available in the UK. I actually work with a tool called BNGAI that could really help in situations like yours which is why I couldn't help but comment once I saw your post. It uses AI and satellite imagery to augment the work done by ecologists and automates many of the tasks involved in BNG compliance, which would significantly cut down on the need for manual input and help your team manage more projects. If you think this might be useful, I’d love to have a quick chat and show you how BNGAI can help lighten the load for your team. Let me know if you’re interested!
Ecologist | Biodiversity Net Gain Specialist
5moI think recruitment is an issue across the whole industry. I think there's also a bit of a snag at the moment where some very experienced and competent Ecologists aren't yet experts at BNG. Ecology is already a very broad discipline, so layering BNG on top is proving a bit of a challenge for some. A decent portion of my role at the moment is picking up projects where all of the survey work has been done, but they need someone else to handle the BNG considerations. Is that a problem though? As long as the surveys are sound, does it matter if another company then focuses on the BNG?