White-clawed crayfish survey
- Habitat assessment involving evaluating the potential value of river habitats for crayfish
- Presence/likely absence surveys using manual searches, sweep netting and torchlight surveys
- Trapping using funnel traps under license from the relevant SNCO (Statutory Nature Conservation Organisation)
- Monitoring surveys
Impact assessment
- Identification of potential direct and indirect impacts, both at the site level and in a wider perspective: risks of disturbing, injuring or killing white-clawed crayfish, habitat modification, loss, fragmentation or isolation, post development interference impacts and poor data situations or ‘last minute discoveries’.
- Quantification of potential impacts in terms of extent, magnitude, duration, timing, frequency, reversibility and cumulative effects.
- Strategic advice on project feasibility.
Licences
Preparation of licence applications to permit otherwise unlawful acts in relation to white-clawed crayfish.
Mitigation
- Precautionary working method statements
- Tool box talks
- Ecological clerk of works role
- Receptor site selection
- Habitat design plans including channel improvements and aquatic and emergent vegetation planting
- Relocation of white-clawed crayfish to a suitable habitat prepared in advance
- Mitigation management plans