Review of the BCT Survey Guidelines Phase 1; Summary of user responses June 2010

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1 Review of the BCT Survey Guidelines Phase 1; Summary of user responses June 2010 It has now been over two years since the BCT Survey Guidelines were first published. When the guidelines were drafted, we agreed they would be reviewed and added to as knowledge about bats and survey methods developed. Reviewing and redrafting the whole document is a substantial task. For this reason, earlier this year, we proposed to prioritise sections for revision and produce a series of updates. Thereby enabling us to focus on each aspect appropriately, as certain sections will benefit from more input than others. The first stage of the review comprised a survey of bat workers and other professionals who currently use the Survey Guidelines. The survey aim was to identify which sections are most used, who is using them and pinpoint information gaps that require clarification. BCT would like to thank all of those who took part in the online survey. The standard of responses and comments was very high, with many useful and pertinent points. These comments have all been collated and will be distributed to the editorial board to aid the redrafting of chapters. The following report provides a brief overview of the survey and highlights the key messages and points raised. For this reason, full comments will not be included in this report, but are available on request from BCT. 1 P a g e

2 Participation A total of 223 participants completed the online survey. 60% of these participants were licensed bat workers, of which half have held their licence for over 2 years. If yes, how long have you been licensed? less than 1 year 1-2 years 2-5 years 5-10 years over 10 years There was broad representation from a range of stakeholder groups. 75% of respondents questioned were involved in consultancy associated with building and development. The second largest professional group that participated were involved with local government and planning. Are you a professional involved in any other field that deals with bat conservation? Arboriculture Building Industry Conservation NGO Local Authority - Planning dept. Land Management Local Government - Ecology/Landscaping dept. Police Pest Controllers Statutory Nature Conservation Organisation 2 P a g e

3 Current use The document is well-used. 89% of participants use the guidelines on a regular basis in reports or responses produced as part of their professional work. The exact use varied, but a large proportion cited consultancy reports as the main use If yes, for what purpose? Consultancy reports Objections to planning Writing guidance Quotes for work 53% of the respondents found the guidelines easy to use, however 42% stated that it was occasionally difficult to find or interpret the information. It was largely felt that a reduction in text in some sections would be beneficial and make interpretation easier. Indexing was also suggested to as useful information finding tool. Additional suggestions for improvement included quick reference sections, summaries of the most pertinent points and working examples to illustrate points more clearly. 3 P a g e

4 Chapter 1 - Introduction Chapter 3 Preparation and planning Chapter 5 Automated bat activity Chapter 7 Surveying underground sites Chapter 9 Catching Appendix 1 Identification of bats Appendix 3 Glossary of bat terms Is there anything that would make the informaiton easier to understand? diagrams graphs tables photographs indexing The three most used chapters were: Manual bat, Surveying buildings and built structures and Surveying trees. Other well used chapters included: Assessing the need for a survey, Preparation and planning and Automated bat activity. Which three chapters do you refer to most often, or have you found the most useful in the past? Content 74% of respondents felt that the content of the guidelines provided a good representation of current best practice within the field. The remaining 26% of survey participants felt that some sections contradicted other guidance, reference documents or their opinion of best practice. 4 P a g e

5 If yes, please specify Chapter 1 - Introduction Chapter 2 Assessing the need for bat survey Chapter 3 Preparation and planning Chapter 4 Manual bat activity Chapter 5 Automated bat activity Chapter 6 Surveying buildings and built structures Chapter 7 Surveying underground sites Chapter 8 Surveying trees Chapter 9 Catching Chapter 10 Radio-tracking Appendix 1 Identification of bats Appendix 2 Automated bat detector systems Appendix 3 Glossary of bat terms The two chapters with the most comments were Manual bat activity and Surveying buildings and built structures. A large number of comments therefore requested further information and clarification on survey effort for different species and sites depending on roosting potential, the timings of within the year and appropriate spacing of repeat. The table below details most referenced subjects. Recurrent suggestions Guidance on the assessment of important commuting routes / foraging areas. Infrared cameras Spectrographic analysis Assessment tool for planning applications Surveys for Bechstein s, barbastelle and woodland generally. Surveying at swarming sites Tree survey methodology Minimum survey standards Other comments largely focused on the provision of improved guidance for assessing trees individually and within larger areas of woodland. Comments on Automated bat highlighted the need for the guidance to reflect current advancements in technology and information on how to utilize automated equipment to survey large-scale development sites. Additional chapters As part of the review BCT are planning to include additional chapters. Five potential chapters were outlined in the survey, the two with the highest number of responses were windfarms and mitigation. 5 P a g e

6 80.0% 60.0% 40.0% 20.0% 0.0% As part of the review BCT are planning to include additional chapters. Please select two areas that you think would be of most use. Windfarms Large-scale development Mitigation Woodland survey Objecting to planning There was also the opportunity to comment and suggest other areas that should be covered and an opportunity to raise other comments on the document. These comments ranged from recommendations on assessment criteria used to categorise buildings, to suggestions for additional chapters on spectrographic studies. Review process Overseeing this process will be an editorial board made up of individuals with expertise in the field. The board, after receiving a full transcript of comments from this first phase, will produce a working timetable. Technical advisory groups will then assist with the delivery of some of the new chapters and revisions. All new drafts will be subject to consultation before final publication. Outline of review process 1. Review of comments from Phase 1 scoping survey 2. Production of working timetable 3. Drafting of new chapters and revisions made to existing chapters, some of which will involve additional input from technical advisory groups 4. New chapters released for consultation 5. Chapters included electronically 6 P a g e