News & Views

In February, Ecologists from our Derbyshire office spent an enjoyable day on the moors in the Peak District National Park, volunteering with the Moors for the Future Partnership, assisting with important practical conservation work whilst learning more about moorland restoration.
28 February, 2025
We have just finished our annual record submission to Local Environmental Records Centres (LERCs). The result is the highest number submitted to date; a total of 61,038 records to 35 different LERCs ranging in geographical spread from north-east Scotland to west Wales and Cornwall. We have now submitted 109,505 records to LERCs in the past two years alone.
13 February, 2025
Over the last few weeks ecologists from our Newport and Derbyshire offices have been representing BSG Ecology at the Swansea University Science Careers Fair and Nottingham Trent University’s Life Sciences and Environment Fair. Both of these events provided an excellent opportunity to meet with undergraduate and post-graduate students from across environmental and life sciences courses and provide advice to students who are considering a career in the sector. Our ecologists were able to answer questions about working within a consultancy and the opportunities we have available for early career ecologists at BSG.
22 November, 2024

Future Energy Wales 2024

We enjoyed attending Future Energy Wales on 12-13 November. The conference has developed into the most significant event in Welsh renewables, and the team were able to catch up with many of our clients and current and former project team colleagues. BSG Director Owain Gabb was one of the speakers in the “Wind, wings, and wildlife: Onshore wind benefits in action” session, during which he outlined our role in habitat creation, monitoring and research in relation to onshore renewables.
20 November, 2024
Early October saw the whole team travel to Cardiff to celebrate our 27th anniversary. The day started with a presentation reflecting on what has been a very successful first year as a 100% employee-owned company and how we can build on this progress in the coming year.
21 October, 2024
The annual Welsh Ringing Course was run over the long weekend of 6-9 September 2024. The field elements of the course, including site preparation work, landowner liaison, health and safety and daily logistical planning were co-ordinated by BSG Ecology Director and Gower Ringing Group member Owain Gabb.
11 September, 2024
BSG Ecology is working in partnership with the Earth Trust at Little Wittenham Woods, Oxfordshire to establish the presence or likely absence of hazel dormouse. The species is known to be present in Oxfordshire, but very few, if any, records exist for the area between Abingdon, Didcot and Wantage along the Thames Valley (based on NBN Gateway data). The work is mutually beneficial. The Earth Trust is keen to understand more about the species their landholdings support, and the survey will provide an opportunity for staff to gain the experience required to apply for a dormouse licence.
07 August, 2024
In May 2024 BSG Ecology and Arup collaborated to provide twelve of our staff, along with ecologists from Welsh Government and Neath Port Talbot Council, with bespoke training in the survey and evaluation of Open Mosaic Habitats of Brownfield Land (OMH), a priority habitat type. The two-day training course was delivered on Welsh Government-owned land at Baglan, Neath Port Talbot, by specialist botanist Sharon Pilkington. Sharon had previously completed a detailed lower plant survey of the site, which is dominated by a very large area of OMH.
02 August, 2024
Recently the Derbyshire and Oxford teams have welcomed students Hazel Ashworth and Colin Teal on work experience placements. Hazel, who is currently an A-Level student at Buxton Community College and Colin, a Level 3 Animal Management student at Abingdon & Witney College were both eager to get an insight into what working as an ecologist entails.
22 July, 2024
BSG Ecology is delighted to be delivering Field Identification Skills Certificate (FISC) in partnership with the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) for the second year.  Seventeen of our Ecologists took part in our assessment days in 2023 with fourteen achieving Level 4. This year another ten ecologists from across the practice have undertaken the day-long test.
18 July, 2024