Great-Crested Newt
ECOSA have extensive experience in surveying for great-crested newt to assess presence, population status and to identify key areas of breeding and terrestrial habitat.
Using our survey data to devise appropriate mitigation strategies, we have successful attained many Natural England licences for development works affecting great-crested newts and their breeding and terrestrial habitat. Mitigation works include terrestrial and aquatic habitat creation, maintenance and management, and the management of numerous large-scale exclusion and translocation projects.
Our ecologists hold Natural England great-crested newt licences and are experienced in translocation works and the supervision of habitat removal.
For further details of legal protection and bird survey methods, please see links below.
- Status
- Ecology
- Protection Under UK Legislation
- Survey Methods
- Egg Search Surveys
- Torch Surveys
- Netting Surveys
- Trapping Surveys
- Survey Timing
- Mitigation
- Links
Status
The population of great-crested newt has suffered a decline in past years (estimated at 2% of colonies per year) due to loss and degradation of breeding ponds and terrestrial habitat. The UK supports a significant element of the total world population of great-crested newt, its range is confined to central Europe.
Ecology
Great-crested newts breed in ponds during the spring period, adults enter the water from early March depending on the temperature and date of the last frosts. Adults mate and lay eggs on submerged vegetation with egg laying activity reaching a peak in May. Adults then depart their breeding ponds by mid-June. However, great-crested newt will return to the ponds throughout the summer months and ECOSA have recorded adult great-crested newt in ponds through all months of the year.
During much of the summer adult great-crested newt lead a terrestrial life style, foraging within grassland, woodland and scrub surrounding the pond. Young newts emerge from breeding ponds from around mid-July. During the late Autumn period great-crested newt enter hibernation, the animals seek cracks in the ground, piles of debris and animal holes in which to shelter throughout the winter until they emerge for breeding.
Protection Under UK Legislation
In England, great-crested newts are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Conservation (Natural Habitats,&c.) Regulations, 1994
The legislation prevents intentional killing or injury to individual newts and the deliberate damage or disturbance to their habitat. It is generally taken that terrestrial habitat within 500 metres of a breeding pond will function as habitat for the animals and as a result is covered by the legislative framework.
Any activity that would result in a contravention of the above legislation would require a Natural England licence to avoid committing an offence. Natural England licences are most likely to be issued where there are strong social and economic issues linked to the proposed development. However, such licences are likely to require mitigation/compensation proposals that benefit the species, such as additional habitat creation and beneficial habitat management.
Survey Methods
Surveys for great-crested newt are most efficient when the animals are present within their breeding waterbodies. All of the survey methods outlined below can result in disturbance to great-crested newt and as a result a Natural England licence must be obtained before such survey work can be carried out. ECOSA surveyors hold current Natural England GCN licences for England and Wales.
Egg Search Surveys
Searches of submerged vegetation can reveal the presence of eggs. Such surveys involve a slow and methodical search of vegetation around the margins of the waterbody, looking for the rolled leaves that house great-crested newt eggs.
Torch Surveys
Night time surveys using high powered torches can reveal the presence of adult great-crested newt as they swim, feed and court within the waterbody.
Netting Surveys
Netting surveys are carried out using professional hand nets with a 1mm mesh, 0.3m long bag, a 250mm outer diameter frame with a total frame and handle height of 1.48m. The waterbody is netted until all accessible areas are adequately surveyed. Netting is particularly suited to ponds with dense vegetation or murky water which reduces the effectiveness of torch surveys.
Trapping Surveys
This method is a reliable way for recording the presence of great-crested newts, and it is especially useful for surveying turbid or weedy ponds. Bottle trapping involves submerging plastic bottle traps into the ponds at dusk. During the night newts swim into the traps and are unable to exit until released. The traps are then checked the following dawn and all newts are recorded and released, and the traps removed from the ponds. The traps are made from 2-litre plastic bottles and were set at a density of one trap per two metres (m) of pond margin.
Survey Timing
It is important to emphasise that successful great-crested newt surveys are confined to a window of opportunity between early March and early June when animals are present in the breeding ponds. Outside of this season terrestrial surveys using drift fencing and pitfall traps can be used to establish presence of animals in terrestrial habitat, however the success rate is dependent on the sites habitat characteristics. It is not possible to survey for the species between November and early March.
Mitigation
The loss of a great-crested newt breeding waterbody should be avoided and utmost steps should be taken to conserve waterbodies, where possible. If as part of a proposed development loss of a breeding waterbody is unavoidable this loss is usually mitigated for by excavating new waterbodies and improving the network in the local area.
Development close to a breeding waterbody will result in the loss of important terrestrial habitat for the species and mitigation for this loss should concentrate on sympathetic management of retained habitat, allocation of additional terrestrial habitat that was previously not suitable (e.g. mown amenity grassland) and a commitment to the long-term management of habitat.
Loss of breeding ponds and terrestrial habitat will require that animals are captured and removed from the development area. This will require the installation of great-crested newt exclusion fencing and capture of animals. Newt translocation work will usually extend through at least one season i.e. March to October depending on the size of the population present.
Links
