WildNet - Matthew Roberts
The Wildlife Trusts Consultancies
The Wildlife Trust Consultancies is a trusted network of local experts in ecology, landscape architecture, and habitat management. They specialise in providing practical, responsive solutions for risk management and planning, carefully tailored to local conditions.
Owned by local Wildlife Trusts, the consultancies reinvest their profits into local conservation work by returning them to their parent trust on an annual basis. With an in-depth expertise in the local natural environment, they make informed decisions and provide effective advice and support whilst also having the advantage of deep expertise in the local natural environment, ensuring informed and effective advice and support, whilst also having a thorough understanding of Local Planning Authority expectations.
For more information on The Wildlife Trusts Consultancies, services and examples of our experience and partnerships, click here.
Services
Wildlife Trust Consultancies offer extensive experience in managing local projects and guiding our clients through complex regulatory and planning frameworks.
We support developers, architects, and planners at every stage, from site selection to wildlife surveys and mitigation strategies, working closely with Local Planning Authorities, Natural England, and the Environment Agency.
The Wildlife Trusts Consultancies’ ecologists are members of their professional body, the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) and hold the necessary survey and mitigation licenses from Natural England.
Biodiversity Strategy Advice
Expert advice to businesses on their nature positive road map, including advice on Biodiversity Net Gain, strategic land management operations, and wider environmental activities.
Experienced consultants offer local knowledge of habitats, species and planning processes, local nature recovery and tree strategies and offer bespoke and pragmatic ecological solutions tailored to the local context.
The excellent relationships and trust that Wildlife Trust Consultancies have established with Local Planning Authorities and statutory and non-statutory consultees ensure authoritative advice based on a thorough understanding of requirements to get projects through planning.
Protected Species
Ecological surveys to inform planning applications including presence or likely absence survyes of protected species or species of conservation concern, as well as pragmatic and proportional mitigation measures. Specialist staff are also qualified to apply for and administer European Protected Species Licenses.
Landscape Design
Masterplans created by landscape architects to ensure that schemes work for wildlife and people, add value to sustainable drainage schemes with new habitats, create new homes for wildlife and connect existing wildlife corridors.
GIS
A range of GIS and CAD tools are used to present environmental information. Applications of this software include, ecosystem services mapping, vegetation mapping and protected species mapping and analysis of ecological risk.
Arboriculture
Tree surveys or Arboricultural reports written to support management decisions and planning applications, including Arboricultural Method Statements and Arboricultural Impact Assessments.
Habitat Management and Creation
Integrated Habitat management and land management solutions, including preparation of habitat management plans across both small and large scale contracts. Preparation of Habitat Managment and Monitoring Plans.
Marine and Coastal Services
Marine surveys and assessments that can be used by local planning authorities, developers and marine planning decision makers.
Key services offered through the Marine and Coastal services team include:
Ornithological surveys
Intertidal habitat surveys
Invasive species monitoring
Seagrass and saltmarsh surveys
Juvenile fish surveys
Natural Capital
Comprehensive Natural Capital Assessment services designed to help clients understand and enhance the value of natural assets within their business or project.
This service evaluates ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, and grasslands to quantify the benefits they provide, including carbon sequestration, flood regulation, and biodiversity support. By integrating natural capital into project planning, The Wildlife Trusts Consultancies can identify opportunities to protect and enhance these resources, ensuring long-term sustainability and adding value to both the environment and your business.
Nutrient Neutrality
Specialised services to help developers achieve Nutrient Neutrality, ensuring projects comply with environmental regulations while safeguarding local ecosystems.
The Wildlife Trusts Consultancies can help produce Nutrient Neutrality assessments to support planning applications, identifying potential sources of nutrient pollution and developing tailored mitigation strategies such as habitat restoration, sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), or land management solutions to offset nutrient impacts.
Wilder Carbon
A number of The Wildlife Trusts Consultancies are trusted deliverers with Wilder Carbon to develop projects with landowners who want to use their land to lock-up carbon.
If you’re interested in exploring whether a Wilder Carbon project could be right for you, our team will be able to provide you with the guidance, surveys, and support you need to start developing your project.
Wild flower planting in urban situation, with green-viened white butterfly, Pieris napi, Sheffield city centre - Paul Hobson
Case Study: Network for Nature with National Highways
National Highways, the company responsible for England’s motorways and major A-roads, awarded over £11.5 million to enhance, restore and create more than 2300 acres (950 hectares) of woodlands, grasslands, peatlands and wetlands either owned by Wildlife Trusts or third-party landholdings. The Wildlife Trusts Consultancies have been involved in the data collection and assessment at the feasibility stage.
