Tom began working as a professional ecologist in 2002 and joined BSG Ecology in 2014. He has extensive experience in survey and mitigation for habitats and species, and in ecological impact assessment, consultation, project design and management. He works with a range of clients including commercial developers, utilities companies and local authorities. He has led various large and complex statutory and non-statutory Ecological Impact Assessments, including a number of Habitats Regulations Assessments.
Tom is a Chartered Ecologist (CEcol), a full member of the CIEEM and a member of the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland and the British Bryological Society. He has a Masters degree in Ecology, a DPhil in Plant Sciences, and a Level 5 Field Identification Skills Certificate (FISC) from the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Tom holds Natural England survey licences for great crested newt and for the plant species field cow-wheat and bearded stonewort.
He has experience in surveys for amphibians, reptiles, badger, water vole, otter, bats, and invertebrates, and has provided on-site advice as an Ecological Clerk of Works, helping clients to meet their obligations towards the protection of badger, great crested newt, reptiles, and breeding birds.
Tom’s specialist expertise is in habitat and botanical survey and assessment. He has carried out numerous National Vegetation Classification surveys across the UK, including survey and monitoring of Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and has undertaken botanical survey and mitigation work for a range of protected or notable plant species. His recent work includes survey and monitoring of ancient woodland sites, biodiversity gain assessments, monitoring of habitat mitigation schemes, and specification of habitat creation and management, such as for grassland in Oxfordshire and for heathland in Dorset.
Tom delivers training programmes within and outside BSG Ecology in habitat survey and assessment, botanical identification, habitat creation, biodiversity impact assessment and biodiversity gain calculation.