We can advise you if an ecological assessment is needed for your planning application. On-ground ecological assessment is also a valuable tool for land managers in guiding management decisions that are not subject to permits. Questions such as whether vegetation is native, introduced or contains weeds can be easily addressed.
Current planning legislation regarding native vegetation and biodiversity requires ecological assessment for Moderate and High Risk applications, although not for Low Risk. If you are unsure as to which Risk category applies to your project we can quickly advise you, usually without the need for a site visit.
Moderate and High Risk applications must be assessed on site by a qualified ecological consultant, who is trained in the use of the habitat hectare method and has maintained competency in the method with DELWP (Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning). North East Ecology meets this requirement as our main consultant has many years of experience in habitat hectares assessments.
We also find that many Low Risk applicants can benefit from our experience and advice in submitting permit applications, especially when determining how offsets can be met, and in reducing the offset costs.
