Introduction to UK Habitat Surveys

Expert ecological consultant trainers will lead this course and support you in building your awareness of different habitat types. You will be introduced to basic botanical skills to support habitat surveying, and coding and mapping methodology for grasslands and woodlands will be demonstrated out in the field.

Who Should Attend? – Nature enthusiasts, students, rangers, early career consultants and ecologists.

Knowledge Level – Open to all. Level descriptors can be found on the following web-page: Framework and Course Level Descriptors

Prior Knowledge – No existing knowledge or experience is needed for this course, just a willingness to explore and learn.

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Classify various types of habitats using key indicator species
• Display practical surveying skills to undertake surveys
• Understand how these skills are used as part of a career

PLEASE NOTE: There is no accommodation, refreshments, or meal facilities provided with this course. If we are unable to reach viable numbers for this course, we will inform you of the course cancellation 4-5 weeks prior to the course run. We would recommend when purchasing accommodation and/or travel you should take out your own insurance.

Bookings will close if course capacity is reached.

Please email [email protected] if you have any questions.

Laurie Wildwood

Laurie Wildwood is a professional Ecological Consultant and botany tutor who, with his refreshing approach, aims to inspire adults and children to explore and appreciate the natural world. His professional background is in ecology, conservation and habitat management.

Example Timetable

Please arrive in time for the course to start promptly at 10:00am.

Morning 
10:00-10:45 
An introduction to UK Habitat Surveying
Be able to: understand several different UK Habitats and their conservation status
10:45-12:00 
Introduction to botanical skills for habitat surveying
Introduce anatomy and terminology and commonly encountered species indicative of different grassland and woodland habitats
Lunch - not included
12:00 – 13:00 
Afternoon 
13:00-14:30
Field session to explore grassland and woodland habitats and looking out for commonly encountered species indicative of different types
Identify plant species and use a suitable location to introduce the concept of habitat parcels (observing broad changes: colour, texture and structure) and introducing the idea of identifying the parcel boundaries
14:30 – 15:00 
UKHAB: Introduction to the UK Habitat Classification
Be able to: understand why the UKHAB survey was developed, where it can be applied, its format and what resources are available
Build awareness of coding and mapping protocol
15:00 – 16:15 
Field session to look at habitat parcels and how they are mapped and tutor will model a worked example of UKHAB classification
16:15- 16:45 
Using habitat surveying for environmental audit
Be able to: understand how surveys are used by ecological consultants and the types of survey they might be required to carry out including Phase1, NVC and UKHAB
16:45 – 17:00 
Questions/ debrief

Please note accommodation, refreshments and an evening meal are not included.

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  Expert Tuition

The course has been carefully created by expert tutors and educators to help you continue to build and develop your knowledge and apply it within the field surrounded by like-minded individuals.

The course includes:

• Classroom learning covering the theory of the species
• Field excursions to apply new knowledge
• Expert tuition for which the Field Studies Council is renowned
• Clear objectives and progression

You can rest assured that the absolute best content from an expert in environmental education will be provided. In choosing an FSC course, you will be joining thousands of people who learn with us each year.

Student Discount

This course is eligible for a student discount. If you are a current student, please use discount code BioStudent20 at checkout for 20% off all Biodiversity courses.

What to bring

• Desirable to bring any personal field equipment you have such as a hand lens, notebook and pencil, botanical ID guide, binoculars and Tupperware/plastic bags for collecting specimens.
• A digital download of UKHAB field key and habitat descriptions would also be useful but not essential.
• Suitable clothing for the weather and being outdoors - much of the afternoon will be spent outdoors in grassland and woodland.