Badger Surveys

Background

Badgers (Meles meles) and their setts are protected under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992. Under this Act it is illegal to destroy, damage or obstruct access to a sett or disturb a badger while it is using its sett. A sett is defined, under the Act, as any structure or place showing signs of current or recent occupation by a badger. Licences are required for works that will disturb badgers while in a badger sett.

EMEC Ecology works with a wide range of clients from developers working on large housing projects to homeowners with badgers causing damage to their properties. Through our Land Management team we are able to carry out badger sett exclusions and the creation of artificial badger setts.

Timing

Badger surveys can be carried out throughout the year, although the optimum time is autumn and late winter to early spring when badgers are active, but vegetation is low.

Methodology

Badger Walkover Survey

A walkover survey of the site and within the appropriate Zone of Influence (ZoI) beyond (where access permits) will be undertaken, which will comprise assessing the suitability of habitats for badger and searching for and recording the location of evidence of badger activity. Evidence that will be searched for includes:

• Setts and bedding trails;
• Latrines;
• Footprints in soil and mud;
• Paths and excavation;
• Scratching posts;
• Hairs caught on fences;
• Bedding and ‘guard hairs’ at sett entrances; and
• Snuffle holes and evidence of foraging.

All work will be carried out from ground level and no tools are required to carry out the work. Trail cameras may be deployed in inconspicuous locations to record badger activity over a month, if deemed necessary.

Badger walkover surveys can be undertaken at any time of year, although winter is ideal to search for evidence when vegetation cover in minimal.

Badger Monitoring

To monitor the use of potential setts found during the walkover survey, trail cameras may be deployed in inconspicuous locations to record badger activity where it was deemed to be concentrated on Site. The trail cameras will be either be mounted on suitable features (such as fencing or trees), or on stakes. The trail cameras will be in place for 28 days, the batteries and SD cards will be changed once or twice a week, depending on activity levels.

The camera footage will be analysed to determine whether there are any active badger setts on Site and general levels of foraging and commuting activity.

Badger monitoring can be undertaken at any time of year, although winter is suboptimal as this is when badgers are least active above ground.

Badger Bait Marking Surveys

This technique involves determining the territories of badger social groups. The bait is a mixture of peanuts, golden syrup and indigestible plastic pellets (which is harmless to the badgers) and this is placed close to badger setts. The plastic pellets placed at each sett are a different colour that can then be identified through the badger’s droppings. Badgers mark their territory with communal latrines (dung pits); therefore, the coloured pellets recorded within dung pits can be used to form an understanding of the extent of a badger clan’s territory. The information from bait marking can then be used in conjunction with recording other badger activity such as well-worn paths and footprints.

Following the Survey

Report

We will provide a report detailing the results of our survey and any required mitigation as soon as possible following the survey, however; should you have a specific date for submission of a planning application we will do our utmost to accommodate this.

Badger Exclusion and Badger Disturbance Licences

If setts are found during badger surveys, and the sett cannot be retained or disturbace avoided, a badger exclusion or disturbance licence may be required for development works to proceed. If this is the case a licence application to Natural England, including a detailed mitigation report will be required. Licences are usually only granted for the period between the 1st July to 30th November, so that the badger breeding season is avoided.

In some cases it may be necessary to exclude badgers from a sett completely, for example if heavy machinery needs to cross directly over a sett. However permanent sett exclusion should be considered a last resort, with all other avenues (avoidance measures or a temporary exclusion) considered first. If a sett is lost than compensation will be required.

A disturbance or exclusion licence will only be granted by Natural England if sufficient consideration has been taken with regards to the welfare of the badgers. EMEC Ecology can assist in ensuring that appropriate mitigation is designed in the application.

Our Land Management team we are able to carry out badger sett exclusions and the creation of artificial badger setts.

To request a more detailed badger sett closure information sheet, please email mail@emec-ecology.co.uk.

Examples

Badger Sett Closure with One Way Badger Gates – Nottingham

EMEC Ecology undertook the permanent closure of an outlier badger sett in a residential area of Nottingham (following a badger survey of the site). This project was given a licence under Natural England, not for development but due to damage to property. In this particular case, badgers were excavating a large sett within the rear garden of a residential property. Although used by only a few badgers on an occasional basis, the sett extended across approximately half the garden and resulted in entrance holes and collapsing tunnels occurring throughout the lawn. EMEC Ecology staff were able to close the sett using one-way badger gates and exclude badgers from the sett. The sett was then excavated and all tunnels back filled. The badgers were found to be residents from a nearby main sett and therefore the conservation of the local population was not affected. Furthermore, the badgers did not attempt to re-enter the sett during the monitoring period before excavation; indicating the sett was not of high importance to the local group.