It is the little things that count.
Kingcombe Aquacare’s environmental teams are regularly tasked to carry out survey work, often as a pre-requisite for planning permissions or in response to habitat improvement schemes.
Several of our staff have been trained and accredited by the Environment Agency to carry out River Habitat Surveys in accordance with the Agency’s own protocols. This is often used to establish a baseline for the quality of aquatic habitat, against which the environmental performance of any development or improvement scheme can be measured.
One of the most sensitive indicators is the level of invertebrate activity and the mix of species that can be identified on a given stretch of water. Kingcombe staff are trained to take kick samples in an approved manner and then identify and analyse the results.
Our Environmental Manager is qualified to undertake water vole surveys, and to advise on mitigation measures in the event of their presence on a potential development site. Equally we have a long track record of helping to manage and protect crayfish populations, with a presence for many years on the Biodiversity Action Plan Committee for the native white clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes).