For further details on each course click on the appropriate hyperlinks.

Roads and mammals

This course will review the latest research on the impacts of mammal-related road traffic accidents (RTAs) in the UK, discuss techniques to reduce mammal RTAs (with reference to specific case studies) and will include a field trip to see examples of mitigation in practice.

Habitats Regulations and Appropriate Assessment

This course provides an introduction to Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA) and Appropriate Assessment, including the legal background, determining who is responsible for carrying out the assessment, the various stages of the process itself and recent developments. Case studies (including a road and a wind farm scheme) are explored in detail.

Ecological Impact Assessment

This course looks at the principles of Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) in the context of EIA/SEA, and covers the legislative process, scoping, impact assessment methodologies, survey techniques to inform baseline conditions, impact characterisation, mitigation/compensation/enhancement, assessment of residual impacts and monitoring. These issues are explored in the context of appropriate case studies from development projects.

Ecological Risk Assessment

Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) provides a new approach to assessing risks to ecosystems from contaminants in soils. The Environment Agency/DEFRA have developed a formal framework for assessing these risks which sets out guidance to help regulators and land owners meet the statutory requirements of Part 2a (Contaminated Land) of the Environmental Protection Act (1990). This course provides the necessary multi-disciplinary approach to ERA through a morning session designed for ecologists that introduces them to the key issues relating to contaminated land, and an afternoon session designed for contaminated land experts that explains how ecosystems function. Attendees will have a chance to meet and talk informally over lunch.