Supporting practitioners and decision makers in achieving more ecologically sustainable infrastructure development

Lead Research Organisation: University of Sussex
Department Name: Sch of Life Sciences

Abstract

This Fellowship will help resolve ongoing conflicts between two national priorities: the need for new infrastructure, and the safeguarding of protected species and their habitats. Improving national infrastructure is one of the 5 key pillars of the UK's Industrial Strategy. Alongside major enhancements to the transport networks and energy security, the National Infrastructure Delivery Plan includes the large-scale supply of housing, with the ambition to build 300,000 new homes per year. Yet the sustainable management of natural resources, including biodiversity, is also fundamental to the UK's long-term economic and social well-being. Ensuring the ecological sustainability of projected growth in the built environment is, for this reason, a pressing challenge. NERC science can help to meet this challenge only if it is readily accessible, in suitable formats, and accompanied by two-way dialogue between users and researchers. This Fellowship will help practitioners and decision makers to understand and mitigate more effectively for the impacts of major infrastructure developments on protected wildlife and habitats. It will therefore allow the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs), as well as other stakeholders, to achieve their stated objectives of more strategic environmental protection and more robust and transparent decision-making.

I will build on a highly successful track record of end-user engagement to summarise and communicate evidence on the ecological impacts of major infrastructure (e.g. Mathews et al. 2015; Fensome et al. 2016; Lintott et al. 2016). Working with partners including the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management and the SNCBs, I will develop new Good Practice Guidelines. Evidence gaps will be co-identified and prioritised with stakeholders, and strategies will be developed to address them. Approaches will include the tailored analysis of existing data, the development of collaborative grant applications for new research, and the improvement of monitoring strategies used by industry. For example, one of my PhD students is about to go on secondment to Natural England's Reform Team, exploring how new modelling approaches can be used to minimise the impacts of built developments on greater horseshoe bats. This involves transposing research models built for this species to a new, larger, geographical area. In this Fellowship, I will assess and pilot the feasibility of extending the approach to other species. I will also explore how the modelling approach could be aligned with stakeholder's existing computing and modelling capabilities, enabling its future use 'in house' without continual dependency on academic partner input. Responding to users' needs, and aligning with Defra's strategic aim (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defragroup- areas-of-research-interest) to "make more effective use of observations, data and processes to better understand risk, uncertainties and complexities in decision making", I will also support the development of rigorous ecological monitoring and mitigation schemes. Whilst ecological field surveys at development sites frequently utilise techniques developed by research scientists, limited understanding of statistical principles and of alternative techniques (e.g. theoretical modelling, population genetics) means that many schemes are currently open to legal challenge for being either disproportionate in terms of cost and time, or for failing to provide the required evidence. Improved monitoring strategies will also help to fill the evidence gaps identified in this Fellowship.

Publications

10 25 50
 
Description Need for new clear guidance on ecological impacts of alternative lighting strategies for planners and ecologists established. The value of a new tool for monitoring bat movement through the landscape has been explored (see publications) and I am currently working on making this facility available online
Creation of new Ecobat tool to enable better interpretation of bat activity data including likely proximity to roosts
New Ecobat tool using roost-count rather than acoustic data has been set up in response to a need identified by collaborators on new Bat Mitigation guidelines, and will be recommended for routine use by the guidelines.
Badger Mitigation and Dormouse Conservation Handbooks have completed their final rounds of reviews by the statutory authorities, and will be published in 2022.
I have also led the writing of an evidence review on the conservation status of mammals in Wales for the Welsh Government
Exploitation Route Open access to web resources
Training given to practitioners
Sectors Communities and Social Services/Policy

Construction

Energy

Transport

 
Description See previous section. Training given to ecological practitioners, planning authorities etc. Free web resources have been created Edited Good Practice handbooks which are now ready for printing. Reviewed the conservation status of mammals in Wales for Welsh Government
First Year Of Impact 2020
Sector Chemicals,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Construction,Energy,Transport
Impact Types Societal

Economic

Policy & public services

 
Description Red List
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Membership of a guideline committee
Impact Red List completed during the fellowship being used by Statutory nature conservation organisations to prioritise conservation action.
 
Description State of Mammals in Wales
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health
Impact Improved awareness (e.g. Wales Environment Minister launched the report). PI was subsequently engaged to review the species conservation delivery policy of Natural Resources Wales and to provide guidance on species recovery plans for water voles and bats
 
Description Work underpins guidance on onshore wind farms for UK
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Citation in other policy documents
Impact Provides standing guidance designed to minimise negative impacts on bats
 
Description bat mitigation guidelines
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Membership of a guideline committee
 
Description Strategic Priority Funding - Evidence-based Policy Award
Amount £10,000 (GGP)
Organisation University of Sussex 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 12/2019 
End 03/2020
 
Description Supporting practitioners and decision makers in achieving more ecologically sustainable infrastructure development
Amount £91,584 (GBP)
Funding ID NE/S006486/1 
Organisation Natural Environment Research Council 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 02/2019 
End 05/2021
 
Title Dataset for paper: Passing rail traffic reduces bat activity 
Description Data and analysis code for paper entitled 'Passing rail traffic reduces bat activity', appearing in Scientific Reports (2021). The raw data consists of 38 nights of acoustic, ultrasonic and video recordings made between 15th July - 20th September 2019, at 12 rail-side sites in South-eastern England (see Supplementary Materials Table 1 on article web page for details). Each night's recordings are contained within a separate zip archive, named by site number, followed by site name, day of recording at that site, and date (e.g. 2. Hassocks - Day 1 - 15.07.19.zip). Zip files are best opened with 7zip (Windows) or The Unarchiver (MacOS). The folder structure within each night's raw data zip archive is: |-- Bat Detectors ....|-- Detector 1 - XXX ........|-- Acoustic ........|-- Ultrasonic ....|-- Detector 2 - XXX ........|-- Acoustic ........|-- Ultrasonic ....|-- Video Camera XXX represents the detector's individual ID. Acoustic folders contain calibrated acoustic recordings of passing trains (wav format), and if the acoustic data was used in sound pressure level (SPL) calculations, SPL data (Praat v6.1.09 pkf format, also converted to a text file with file extension .Collection for importing into R (see below). Ultrasonic folders contain ultrasonic audio files (wav format) as labelled using Wildlife Acoustics Kaleidoscope Pro v3.1.5, along with Kaleidoscope metadata (csv format), a log (txt format) of files processed, and the settings file (ini format) used by Kaleidoscope. Files identified as noise are stored in a 'NOISE' subfolder. While the individual audio files and Kaleidoscope generated csv files can be opened using standard software, both are best viewed/played using Kaleidoscope v3.1 or higher. Intermediate processed data which were imported into R (see below), can be found in the zip archive Intermediate Processed Data (R Imports).zip, which has the following folder structure: |-- Bat Detectors ....|-- Acoustic ....|-- Ultrasonic ........|-- Discarded ........|-- Selected |-- Train Dimensions |-- Video Data |-- Weather Data The Acoustic folder contains data calibrating times between acoustic and video datasets (csv and xlsx format). Within the Ultrasonic folder, Kaleidoscope metadata files (with additional columns noting feeding buzzes and start/end times, csv format) are separated into Selected and Discarded subfolders depending on whether data from a given detector was used in the analysis (see Methods). The Train Dimensions folder contains the information used to determine average carriage length, and so estimate train speed (xlsx format), the Video Data folder contains timings of train passes manually extracted from the video recordings (csv format), and the Weather Data folder contains Gatwick Airport weather station records (csv format). Detector distance to trains, and site locations /timings (csv format) are provided at the top level of the archive. All R code (R version 3.6.2) used in further data processing steps, and the final analyses, plus the generated data (as csv files) are provided in a single R Project within the zip archive Data Processing and Analysis.zip. The R project contains a renv database containing all software packages and versions used, allowing the analytical environment to be reproduced using the R command renv::restore(). All paths to external files (outside the project directory) within the R code have been truncated to '/path/to/' before the file name. Consequently, paths to external files should be respecified (e.g. by using a search function to locate the file within the archives) before running affected code. Abstract: Rail transport is expanding, with a global increase in infrastructure of up to one-third predicted by 2050. Greater reliance on rail is expected to benefit the environment at a planetary level, by mitigating transport-related carbon emissions. However, smaller-scale, more direct consequences for wildlife are unclear, as unlike roads, railway impacts on animal ecology are rarely studied. As a group, bats frequently interact with transport networks due to their broad distribution and landscape-scale movements. Additionally, their nocturnality, and use of echolocation mean bats are likely to be affected by light and noise emitted by trains. To investigate whether passing trains affect bat activity levels, we monitored the two most abundant UK species using ultrasonic detectors at 12 wooded rail-side sites in southern England. Activity fell by = 30-50% each time a train passed, for at least two minutes. Consequently, activity was reduced for no less than one-fifth of the time at sites with median rail traffic, and two-thirds or more of the time at the busiest site. Such activity changes imply repeated evasive action and/or exclusion from otherwise favourable environments, with potential for corresponding opportunity or energetic costs. Hence, disturbance by passing trains may disadvantage bats in most rail-side habitats. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2021 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://sussex.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Dataset_for_paper_Passing_rail_traffic_reduces_bat_acti...
 
Title Ecobat dataset 
Description Data on acoustic activity of bats (and more recently roost size) is being captured as part of a project to improve decision-making. Updates and improvements are being created during the current fellowship 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2018 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Database and ecobat algorithms have been included in hundreds of environmental impact statements produced by ecological practitioners. 
 
Description Norwegian partnership 
Organisation Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)
Country Norway 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Co-authored guidance for Norwegian Government on Wind Turbines and Bats
Collaborator Contribution Norwegian co-authorship of document
Impact Recommended Pre- and Post-Construction Monitoring Protocol Guidelines for Norway. Also collaborating on a new grant application
Start Year 2022
 
Description Philips Lighting 
Organisation Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
Department Philips
Country Global 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution We have tested new design of streetlight created by Philips Ltd in terms of impacts on bats and birds
Collaborator Contribution Supply of lamps and provision of subsistence costs for project student
Impact Interpretation ongoing. Likely to contribute to new lighting guidelines.
Start Year 2019
 
Description Scottish Power 
Organisation Scottish Power Ltd
Department Scottish Power Generation Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Collaboration on interpreting data on wind energy bat casualties
Collaborator Contribution Initiation of surveys. Discussion of feasible methodologies
Impact Contribution to Wind Turbine Guidelines; data used in presentation given at Wind Energy Wildlife Conflicts Meeting, Stirling 2019.
Start Year 2016
 
Description Member of Natural England's Bat Expert Panel 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Providing guidance on licensing options for bats in relation to need for development
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019,2020,2021
 
Description Member of Scientific Advisory Panel of Eurobats (and participant in multiple working groups) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Provide formal advice to governments of EU member states on issues including the impacts of light pollution and wind energy on bats
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019,2020,2021
 
Description Member of South Hams SAC steering group 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Produced planning guidance affecting hundreds of developments in Devon. Also resulted in funding for research by the PI to fill critical evidence gaps
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019,2020,2021
URL https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/other-county-policy-and-guidance/south-hams-sac-...
 
Description Multiple media engagements relating to production of new Red List for British mammals 
Form Of Engagement Activity A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Multiple high-profile media engagements. Trended on twitter. Resulted in legal protection of mountain hare in Scotland.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description State of Mammals in Wales launch event 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Raised awareness of conservation challenges facing mammals in Wales and highlighted potential solutions. Led to further research funding for PI on species conservation delivery policy in Wales and the creation of a species recovery plan for water voles
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pb4x_h3ty8
 
Description Working group for new Bat Mitigation Handbook 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Participation in expert panel meetings to create a new set of guidelines for professionals engaged with evaluating impacts of developments on bats. I have created, and am still working on additional, web-tools to help support transparent decision making.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019,2020
 
Description Workshop for practitioners 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Workshop for practitioners to help them understand the impacts of lighting and to use less ecologically damaging approaches in future. Workshop so popular it had to be run twice. Formal assessment of before and after knowledge demonstrated an improvement as a result of the workshop
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019