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Using Technology to Protect Badger Setts

Whilst carrying out a site inspection to provide a vital new water main, our Environmental Team discovered a large badger sett located nearby.

Due to the constraints of the location, it was not possible to move the pipeline. Our team sought advice from a Badger Licenced Ecologist and during the consultation, it was determined that the badger occupying the sett would be used to a high level of noise disturbance due to the location and that we could use a ground penetrating radar survey to establish whether the architecture of the sett extended under the road. This would provide us with the valuable information required as to whether the works would compromise the sett and breach the Badger Protection Act.

The results of the survey confirmed that the sett was contained within the soft estate adjacent to the road and did not extend under the road. This meant the works could take place under the supervision of an Ecological Clerk of Works.

The challenge

  • To install a new water main that would be situated within a one-lane carriageway located six meters from the entrance to a large badger sett.
  • The badger sett was confirmed to be active through camera monitoring and consisted of more than 20 entrances.
  • Due to the constraints of the location, it was not possible to move the pipeline to outside of a 30-metre buffer zone, which could be required to mitigate the risks to the badgers.
  • We needed to determine if the works would compromise the sett and/or breach the Badger Protection Act and whether a licence was required from Natural England if the sett extended under the road.

The Solution

Avove’s Environmental Team worked with a Badger Licenced Ecologist to determine potential ways to mitigate any risks to the badgers.

During the consultation, it was determined that a ground penetrating radar survey would be used to establish whether the sett extended under the road. The survey was supervised by an Ecological Clerk of Works to ensure that the Badger Protection Act was complied with.

The survey showed that the sett was contained within the soft estate adjacent to the road and did not extend under the road, meaning the works would go ahead as planned under the supervision of an Ecological Clerk of Works.

 

Outcomes

  • We installed a new water main on time with no impact on the badger sett
  • We utilised a new approach to understanding the risks to wildlife which we can now adopt for other projects
  • We complied with environmental legislation