14 Jun Promotion of the Profession: Managing Wildlife in the Historic Environment Lecture at West Dean College
BSG Ecology were delighted to be invited to provide two lectures as part of the four-day course on Managing Wildlife in the Historic Environment at West Dean College, Sussex. Attendees included those actively engaged in the conservation and management of historic buildings and sites, including architects, conservation advisors, rangers and contractors.
Director Peter Shepherd and Principal Ecologist Emily Dickins delivered the opening lecture – an introduction to caring for the ecological significance of heritage buildings and sites. The lecture covered legal compliance as the driver for considering ecology within building conservation works, and invited attendees to view historic properties through the lens of ecology.This lecture also looked at seasonal constraints to wildlife surveys and works, and discussed the potential for conflicts between building maintenance and land management activities, and the risks associated with inadvertently committing an offence.
The second lecture focused on the importance of understanding the ecological assets on a site and how to reach a suitable level of understanding to inform proposals, whether related to planning or otherwise. Advice was given on how to get the most out of your ecologist – what information to give them and what questions to ask, before going through some worked examples, which included protected species mitigation.
The course was organised and led by Deborah Evans (Director of DE Landscape and Heritage Ltd), with other sessions led by current and former senior level heritage professionals at Natural England, English Heritage, Historic England, Open University and Forestry England. Further ecological input into the course was provided by the Hampshire Bat Group.
Further More information about our experience in the sector can be found here: Built heritage and historic landscapes
If you would like to discuss ecology at your historic site please contact one of our offices.
Photo credit: West Dean College