Ecological consultancy NatureSpace received the CIEEM In Practice Award together with its partners the Newt Conservation Partnership, in late January.
The award recognises the contribution to knowledge sharing made by authors of feature articles in the CIEEM members’ bulletin, In Practice. The judges were looking for the most influential and thought-provoking article of the year.
An article entitled “District Licensing for great crested newts – a successful first year for the South Midlands scheme”, by Tom Tew, CEO of NatureSpace, and Pascale Nicolet, CEO of the Newt Conservation Partnership, details a seemingly breakthrough scheme for newt conservation
Approved by Government and licensed by Natural England, the NatureSpace District Licensing Scheme is said to provide “a quick, simple, certain and sustainable solution to great crested newt mitigation”. Now operating in 18 Local Planning Authorities across the South Midlands, the scheme seemingly removes risk and uncertainty for developers, dramatically speeds up the licensing process and ensures a sustainable future for newts by creating high quality habitat across the region.
NatureSpace CEO, Tom Tew, said: “We’re very pleased to have been recognised at the CIEEM Awards for our article covering the opportunities and successes of our scheme, which has been running across the South Midlands for the last three years. To date, it has raised £1million for newt conservation which has been used for the creation, monitoring and long-term management of newt habitat – and our ambitions for 2021 are high. We couldn’t have achieved this without our partners the Newt Conservation Partnership, the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust and the Freshwater Habitats Trust.”
Pascale Nicolet, CEO of the Newt Conservation Partnership added: “In Practice is a very important medium for us as we work hard to deliver a sustainable future for great crested newts, also benefiting other freshwater plants and animals. Not only does it connect us with the environmental consultancy community, but it also enables us to keep up-to-date with the latest news and developments in this field. We’re delighted to have been presented with this award for our efforts in delivering significant conservation outcomes for great crested newts. Many thanks to all the partners involved in the scheme, especially the landowners and managers we work with to create high quality habitat for great crested newts.”
The Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) aims to promote “the highest standards of practice for the benefit of nature and society”.
For more information on the CIEEM Awards, please visit: https://cieem.net/about-cieem/cieem-awards/awards-2020/.
