Extended Phase 1 Habitat Survey and GIS
Improving Skills
General
A 2-day course based at Banbury in Oxfordshire, with indoor lecture sessions and work-shops, field-work, and GIS work-station sessions. This course is offered throughout the year, but will have a slightly different emphasis depending on the season. In order to maintain high quality teaching and ensure learning outcomes, the course involves a high degree of interaction between students and lecturers. As a result numbers are limited to 10.
Aims
The course focuses on developing a mature and critical approach to extended Phase 1 Habitat Survey, and to help in advancing practical skills.
Previous Experience
The course is tailored towards those with a basic knowledge of the extended Phase 1 Habitat Survey method (probably including a little field experience), who wish to acquire a more critical understanding of its application in the more challenging situations, and improve their field investigation and presentational skills, especially with regard to mapping.
For those with no practical field experience in the basic Phase 1 method, reading the JNCC handbook should suffice as preparation for those otherwise generally ecologically competent.
Course Content
The following is an outline of the principal topics to be covered. Other matters may be addressed as the course develops. In addition, we are able to tailor a bespoke course to meet an organisations needs.
The progression from Phase 1 Habitat Survey to extended Phase 1. The content of extended Phase 1 surveys. Difficulties inherent in using a method designed for large-area survey in small sites, and some possible solutions. The place of protected species survey in relation to the extended Phase 1 method.
Critical consideration of the Phase 1 habitat categories. Best use of the standard system, including awareness of common misunderstandings. Areas of inadequacy in the habitat categories when applied to small sites, gardens, brown-field sites, railway land, urban districts etc. When to modify habitat categories, and some approaches to doing so.
Critical consideration of the fieldwork element in Phase 1 mapping. Review of studies on between-surveyor inconsistencies in Phase 1 mapping, and consideration of realistic limits to accuracy. The use of air photography and GPS in Phase 1 fieldwork.
The role of species lists and target notes. Where and when to use target notes. What to include in a target note. How to use target notes to meet survey objectives.
Using GIS to present Phase 1 mapping. Other roles of GIS, e.g. orchestrating target note numbering for large surveys.
These topics will be addressed through lectures and workshops supported by field sessions and GIS work-station sessions.
Hedgerow Survey and Ecological Evaluation
General
A 1-day course based in the Warwickshire-Oxfordshire area, with lecture sessions and field-work, offered from April to October.
In order to maintain high quality teaching and ensure learning outcomes, the course involves a high degree of interaction between students and lecturers. As a result numbers are limited to 10.
Aims
The course focuses on developing a mature and critical approach to hedgerow survey and evaluation, and to help in advancing practical skills. The course focuses on the ecological evaluation of hedges. Archaeological evaluation is not covered by the course at this time.
Previous Experience
This course is suitable for any environmental graduate, but assumes some familiarity with common British plants and modest plant identification skills, which cannot be taught in a day. Those lacking plant identification skills could benefit in their understanding of the subject, but could not immediately expect to put everything they have learned into practice.
Course Content
The following is an outline of the principal topics to be covered. Other matters may be addressed as the course develops. In addition, we are able to tailor a bespoke course to meet an organisations needs.
What is a hedge? Types of hedgerow survey. Basic historical ecology of hedges. Hoopers Rule and dating. Different hedgerow types in different landscape types. Key woody species and hedgerow vegetation types.
The Hedgerow Regulations 1997 where and when they apply; voluntary use as an evaluation standard in EIA; key points; the system of ecological evaluation in the Regulations. Anomalies and ambiguities in the Regulations. Help from guidance notes.
Collecting data for hedgerow evaluation under the Regulations. Systems for fieldwork, appropriateness of surveys at different times of year. Difficulties in assessing hedgerow features (banks, ditches etc.) and some practical solutions.
Presenting data and applying the Regulations.
Broad hedgerow surveys for ecological inventory purposes. HEGS and more recent standard survey methodologies.
These topics will be addressed through lectures supported by field sessions.
Field Estimation of Plant Species Abundance
General
A 2-day course based in the Reading area, with lecture sessions and field-work, offered from April to October.
In order to maintain high quality teaching and ensure learning outcomes, the course involves a high degree of interaction between students and lecturers. As a result numbers are limited to 10.
Aims
The course focuses on developing a critical approach to estimating the relative abundance of plants, especially considering cost-effectiveness for commercial and research surveys. It also helps in advancing practical skills.
The course covers material commonly taught on academic ecology courses, with a view to correcting common misconceptions, providing a balanced overview of the palette of available techniques, and encouraging scientifically sound, practical and cost-effective approaches to survey problems in commercial and other cost-constrained contexts.
Previous Experience
The course is suitable for ecological graduates, but will assume some familiarity with common British plants and modest plant identification skills, which cannot be taught in a day. Those lacking plant identification skills could benefit in their understanding of the subject, but could not immediately expect to put everything they have learned into practice.
Course Content
The following is an outline of the principal topics to be covered. Other matters may be addressed as the course develops. In addition, we are able to tailor a bespoke course to meet an organisations needs.
What is abundance? The key parameters of abundance their general and statistical properties. Objective approaches to measuring (estimating) parameters of abundance the commonly-used field methods and their relative costs.
Subjective estimation of abundance. Commonly used systems, Domin Scale etc. Pros and cons of subjective versus objective estimation.
Sampling strategies critical need to define the statistical sample space properly, sampling strategies - random, stratified random, regular etc.
Common problems and unconventional approaches seasonality, unhelpful vegetation structure etc. Photographic methods. Plotless sampling.
Spatially explicit approaches to the recording of abundance. Kriging approaches.
Putting it all together how to select the right methods for the survey in hand.
These topics will be addressed through lectures supported by field sessions.
Plants and Vegetation Types of Urban Areas
General
A 1-day or 2-day course based in the Reading/London/Midlands area (this course will offered in different locations according to demand), with lecture sessions and field-work, offered from June to October.
In order to maintain high quality teaching and ensure learning outcomes, the course involves a high degree of interaction between students and lecturers. As a result numbers are limited to 10 per course.
Aims
The course provides an introduction to and overview of the relatively little-studied and poorly described plants and vegetation types of urban areas including disturbed sites, wasteland, canals, railways, cemeteries and parks. The course also addresses difficult issues of classifying urban vegetation under the NVC system.
Previous Experience
The course is suitable for ecological graduates, but assumes familiarity with common British plants and moderate plant identification skills, since this cannot be taught in a day. It also assumes some familiarity of the National Vegetation Classification, and those with at least a basic knowledge of NVC will stand to benefit most.
Course Content
The following is an outline of the principal topics to be covered. Other matters may be addressed as the course develops. In addition, we are able to tailor a bespoke course to meet an organisations needs.
Some characteristic plants of urban areas. Origins of urban floras. Suites of distinctive and mostly alien plants in different regions and urban habitat types.
Urban vegetation types synopsis (a large part of the course). Ruderal vegetation types in the 2000 NVC review. Areas still poorly covered by the NVC. Recourse to Dutch and German phytosociological classifications of ruderal vegetation types.
Urban plants and vegetation in relation to principles of urban nature conservation amenity value and landscape ecological value. The nature conservation value of wild-flower seed-mixtures versus natural brown-field vegetation in urban areas.
There will be lectures, but these topics will be addressed principally in the field, especially on the 2-day course.
Plants and Vegetation of Sea-Walls and Grazing-Marsh
General
A 1-day or 2-day course (according to demand) based in North Kent (this course will also be offered in Essex or the south coast according to demand), with lecture sessions and field-work. The courses are run from June to August.
In order to maintain high quality teaching and ensure learning outcomes, the course involves a high degree of interaction between students and lecturers. As a result numbers are limited to 10 per course.
Aims
The course provides an introduction to and overview of the relatively little-studied and poorly described plants and vegetation types of reclaimed lands (sea-walls and grazing-marsh). The course addresses difficult issues of classifying sea-wall vegetation under the NVC system.
Previous Experience
The course is suitable for any ecological graduate, but assumes familiarity with common British plants and moderate plant identification skills, since this cannot be taught in a day. It also assumes some familiarity with the National Vegetation Classification, and those with at least a basic knowledge of NVC will stand to benefit most.
Course Content
The following is an outline of the principal topics to be covered. Other matters may be addressed as the course develops. In addition, we are able to tailor a bespoke course to meet an organisations needs.
Brief geo-morphological and historical over-view of the reclaimed land habitat type.
Some characteristic plants of sea-walls and grazing-marsh. Distinctive suites of plants on earth banks, disturbed saline soils, and in grazing-marsh ditches.
Sea-wall vegetation types synopsis (a large part of the course). These vegetation types in the 2000 NVC review. Areas still poorly covered by the NVC. Recourse to the new Dutch equivalent of the NVC in respect of vegetation types in coastal reclaimed lands.
Conservation of sea-wall and grazing-marsh plants and animals. Current threats industry, transport, managed retreat. Current protection NNRs, SSSIs etc.
There will be lectures, but these topics will be addressed principally in the field, especially in the 2-day version of the course.
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