Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are undertaken for developments and integrate social, economic and environmental issues.
Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) forms an important part of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). An Ecological Impact Assessment is used to forecast and evaluate the impact of developments on ecosystems and their components (habitats and species).
The key stages to an Ecological Impact Assessment are:
- Preliminary Ecological Appraisal, scoping survey
- Detailed ecological surveys (NVC) and habitat evaluation
- Protected species surveys (bats, badgers, great crested newts, reptiles, dormice)
- Evaluation of the ecological value of the site
- Impact assessment including positive and negative impacts, magnitude, extent, duration, reversibility, timing and frequency
- Assessment of whether impacts are ecologically significant
- Mitigation design and/or compensation and/or habitat enhancement proposals
- Environmental statement (reporting)
Ecologists at Arbeco have extensive experience of carrying out Ecological Impact Assessments for a range of projects including infrastructure, residential development, contaminated land and water companies.