Mark is a Senior Ecologist with 5 years experience at UES. He joined the company in 2018 after completing his Masters degree in Biological Sciences at Durham University. Mark’s masters project involved working with large datasets to study predator-prey dynamics in large African carnivores.
In his current role, Mark has a broad range of skills and responsibilities. He conducts a range of ecological surveys including protected species surveys, botanical and phase one habitat surveys as well as preparing various reports, ecological management plans and planning documents. Mark is experienced at preparing documents for European Protected Species Licences – both for bats and great crested newts – and has overseen dozens of successful applications. Mark combines his experience at working with large datasets, his botanical knowledge, and his technical skills with GIS software to design biodiversity net gain (BNG) strategies, including some of the first to be accepted in Cheshire.
Mark holds a level four field identification skills certificate (FISC) from the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland (BSBI), which certifies him as competent to undertake preliminary ecological appraisals, as well as more complex botanical surveys, such as national vegetation classification (NVC) surveys.
Mark holds Natural England, Natural Resources Wales and Nature Scot survey licences for bats and great crested newts (GCN), which allows him to legally disturb and handle these species. He is also working towards gaining his barn owl and hazel dormouse licence.
Mark is a qualified NPTC Level 2 tree climber and undertakes aerial inspection surveys for bats. He possesses a CSCS card, has undergone asbestos awareness and emergency first aid training, and has PA1, PA6 AW & INJ qualifications for the hand-held application of pesticides.