Badgers

badgerPart of a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal Cambridge Ecology will assess the suitability of your site to support Badgers. Subsequent detailed surveys may then be required to the inform appropriate levels of mitigation or compensation for a development licence applications. These Badger surveys include specialised methods such as:

  • Phase 1 site investigations
  • Bait marking survey
  • Nocturnal Badger survey

Cambridge Ecology has experienced ecologists able to undertake Badger surveys,.

See survey timetable for the optimal survey period.

Legislation and protection

Badgers and their setts are protected in England and Wales under the Protection of Badger paw printBadgers Act 1992. This makes it a criminal offence to:

  • wilfully kill, injure, take, possess, or cruelly ill-treat a Badger, or to attempt to,
  • to interfere with a sett by damaging or destroying it,
  • to obstruct access to, or any entrance of, a Badger sett;
  • to disturb a Badger when it is occupying a sett.

Sentences include six months imprisonment and/or a fine of up to £5000 (per animal).

The legislation is primarily based on animal welfare, protecting badgers from baiting and other persecution; it also encompasses development activities such as road and housing developments, forestry and agricultural operations.

It is important that proposed developments take adequate account of badgers at the planning stage in order to ensure that badgers will not be affected or, where a licence is required, that appropriate mitigation measures can be implemented and positive impacts maximised.

Licences may be issued by a Statutory Nature Conservation Organisation (e.g. Natural England) to permit legitimate developments or activities that would result in a disturbance or other offence being committed, which would otherwise be illegal. These are restricted to specific purposes and full ecological survey information would be required before a licence is issued.

For more information on how we can help you, please get in touch or call 01954 231239.