One survey some construction firms and those looking to build a new home may overlook is about preservation of nature. Bats are a common theme in the UK, yet most people would not know or think about getting a bat survey until they run into a situation where bats are concerned. Bats are also not the only survey to consider, there are also ecology surveys that cover nesting of birds, barn owls, and even newt surveys.
Bat Surveys Used as Part of Construction CSR
With the UK aggressively approving developments for new housing projects across the country, an increasing number of the construction firms carrying out these projects also have a ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ manifesto that they stick to. From the primary sector up to the tertiary sector in the supply chain for these projects, bat surveys are not uncommon.
For example, a company that mines asphalt may need to drain a pond or lake. This could have devastating effects on the wildlife from bats and owls down to frogs and newts. The firm will need a bat survey or newt survey so they are armed with all the right information on how they can create their asphalt mine while giving these creatures another place to live. It often means investing in building a man-made lake nearby and physically relocating as many of these creatures as possible.
Using Ecology Surveys to Meet Sustainability Targets for Housing Development
Many of the construction firms that win a housing project to redevelop land into a housing estate or commercial office area generally rely on certain sustainability targets so they can show all stakeholders involved that the company has the local environment and ecosystem in its best interests.
Those stakeholders may be locals already living in the area, the government council whom the development firm guaranteed sustainability would be a top priority, environmentalists, local farmers, a local school, local businesses, running clubs in the area, dog walkers, and more. Anyone who is affected by the project is considered a stakeholder.
When plans for these projects arise, environmentalists are often the first group of stakeholders that will have their say. They often have a battle on their hands because the local council will want growth and development for the local area, while the environmentalists want to preserve nature and not build at all. This results in mediation amongst all parties. Quite often bat surveys, ecology, newt, and barn owl surveys are carried out by environmentalists to study the effects of the development project.
Once these surveys are presented in the mediation meetings, the council and often the development company will also hire companies to carry out their own surveys so all groups can agree data presented is trustworthy. The council will also have environmental departments that work closely with the environmentalists, and so these surveys become an integral part of the final decision on how or if the development project goes ahead.
Many construction firms also have a department especially organised to contract ecology companies that can help them survey the land they plan to buy for construction or land that is already earmarked for construction. Meanwhile,
By doing this, the company can learn if they need to relocate certain wildlife, or whether there are sufficient surrounding rural options for the wildlife to relocate to. Sometimes the whole experience can be traumatic for the animals involved, and so these firms take it upon themselves to make sure their project limits the negatives it will have on the local ecosystem and its inhabitants.
In the end, the key to these surveys is to make sure that people have an understanding of the environment they are just about to have an impact on through any potential construction project they have in mind. These surveys can help preserve wildlife, and they can be used as a bargaining chip for construction firms who may come up with a solution that involves creating an environment close by that is better than the current one bats, frogs, newts, owls, and other creatures are living in.
