HABITAT & VEGETATION SURVEY

Meres and Mosses SSSI Survey - Habitat surveys of 44 SSSIs and their catchments in the Meres and Mosses Natural Area for English Nature - including woodland, grassland and marsh, heathland, mire, swamp, and open water.

Quarry site, Derbyshire - Habitat surveys surrounding a limestone quarry, Derbyshire, as part of an EIA for international minerals extraction company. Habitats surveyed included a main river, limestone dale grassland and woodland.

Lindholme Island SSSI - NVC survey and GIS mapping of Lindholme Island SSSI - including woodland, acid/ neutral grassland and ruderal communities - for English Nature.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Development site, Sheffield - Ecological Assessment for the development and restoration of a disused manufacturing plant in the green belt of Sheffield for a development company. Extensive habitat survey and ecological assessment.

186K Hedgerows Assessment - Hedgerow assessment and mapping for 186K Ltd - a commercial telecommunications company - to address environmental constraints and statutory obligations under the Hedgerow Regulations 1997. Assessment of thousands of kilometres of hedgerows, GIS mapping, liaison with planning authorities.

RESTORATION ECOLOGY

Limestone Restoration, Peak District, Derbyshire - Grassland establishment and Limestone Landform Simulation for DTLR. Monitoring of trials to determine the success and applicability of techniques to restore limestone quarries.

Harewood House Estate - Provision of advice to the Harewood House Estate, near Leeds on the protection, remediation and enhancement of its main lake and feeder ponds. Bathymetric and water quality surveys and surveys of the flora and fauna of the lake resulted in recommendations involving dredging, creation of streamside and lakeside buffer strips and construction of a reedbed.

Metalliferous mine-reclamation, UK for the Department of the Environment - Production of best practice guidelines for the reclamation of metalliferous mine sites in England, Wales and Scotland, published by HMSO.

Tinsley Ponds, Sheffield for Sheffield City Council - Ecological mitigation works associated with the Sheffield airport access road. Involved construction of a mitigation pond, followed by a 5 year monitoring programme of this and an associated pond, small area of marsh and surrounding grassland.

PROTECTED SPECIES

Lancashire, Great Crested Newt Mitigation - Great-crested newt survey, exclusion and mitigation project associated with the construction of a mine-gas power generation plant and pipeline for utilities company.

Hertfordshire, Badger Protection - Badger survey, exclusion and mitigation works (consisting of artificial sett construction and habitat creation) for a private client.

WETLAND MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH

Cranberry Rough SSSI - Feasibility study and design proposals for Cranberry Rough SSSI - a protected fenland in Norfolk - for English Nature.

Meres and Mosses SSSI Survey - Production of catchment wide SSSI management plans for SSSIs in the Meres and Mosses Natural Area for English Nature. Habitat surveys, surface hydrology, aquatic ecology coordinated in GIS-based assessment of nature conservation issues and recommendations for action.

EU Priority Habitats - Advice to JNCC - Assessment and evaluation of four EU Priority Habitats across the UK - for the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

Lowland Fens of Northern Ireland - Survey and evaluation of lowland fen resources in Co. Down and Co. Armagh - for DoE Northern Ireland. Development of a comprehensive database to facilitate future designation of protected areas (ASSIs) in the Province.

STRATEGIC NATURE CONSERVATION

Natura 2000 Database - for Environment Agency East Anglian Region - Creation of a database on Natura 2000 sites across the region (approx 50 sites).

Broads Wetlands Survey - A 3-year survey of the wetlands within the Broads Authority Executive Area (Norfolk/Suffolk) for the Broads Authority and English Nature. Survey of location and extent of the main vegetation types and communities and development of a project specific GIS.

INTERNATIONAL

Ventanas smelter, Chile - Commissioned by the Overseas Development Administration to conduct a soil survey for heavy metal pollution in a 150 mile area around the smelter to assess the feasibility of phytoremediation.

Tirilluca, Chile - Environmental Impact Assessment of a major coastal leisure development north of Santiago on behalf of Compania Nacional de Rentas.

Tomsk, Russia - As part of the Governments Darwin Initiative, ECUS staff advised and trained Russian staff in the survey and management of one of the worlds largest areas of unbroken wetlands.

Cordoba, Argentina - Also as part of the Darwin Initiative, experts from Sheffield have been working closely with experts from Universidad de Cordoba on monitoring, conserving and managing two vulnerable habitats, the dry chacos and high mountain grasslands of the Andes. Both are under pressure from grazing and farming.