Great Crested Newt Surveys in Scotland

Legislation

Great Crested Newts are the largest newt found in the UK, and are legally protected through Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act and Schedule 2 of the Habitat Regulations 1994, on account of their major population decline over the last century.

The legislation protects individual newts and their habitat. This effectively means that any proposed development needs to firstly, identify the presence or absence of Great Crested Newts with their site and surrounding area and secondly, if they are present develop a strategy or mitigation which allows their conservation status to remain favourable.

Survey

An initial survey could be undertaken to identify waterbodies that are suitable to support Great Crested Newt using a Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) scoring system.

Surveys are seasonally restricted and can only take place between mid-March and mid-June. A Great Crested Newt Survey from The Wildlife Survey unit would be undertaken by a licensed surveyor and would identify:

• The presence or absence of Great Crested Newts within the site boundary and within 500m of it
• The size of any Great Crested Newt populations present.
• Actions to be taken to ensure legal compliance

All survey methods follow those detailed in the following documents:

• Great Crested Newt Mitigation Guidelines
• Great Crested Newt Conservation Handbook

Migation and EPS licensing would be required for any development that affects a breeding site or any adjacent foraging and hibernacula habitat.

Calendar

Amphibian Surveys

The Wildlife Survey unit also undertake surveys of other amphibian species, including assessing overall population assemblages.

Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus)

Great Crested Newts have unique belly markings allowing mark-recapture techniques

Natterjack Toad (Epidalea calamita) - a rare amphibian found in coastal habitats and heathland