Planning to build, demolish, host an event, or cut down a tree? If so, it is mandatory to check whether an environmental permit Flora and Fauna activity is required. Flora and fauna researcher Kitty Althof of the Twente Environment Service explains what the investigation looks like next.
An issued building permit or notification of demolition activities does not yet mean that the project can start. The impact that the activities will have on nature must always be determined in advance. This is done through an ecological study. The resulting QuickScan is then assessed by the municipality or an environmental department. If a permit is needed, it can be requested from the province, which then also oversees it.
Kitty Althof is a flora and fauna consultant with the Twente Environment Service. She faces a lot of QuickScans. 'Whenever there is demolition and/or construction, the site is investigated prior to the work. An ecologist goes on site to see if there are any protected animal or plant species. A report is drawn up of this investigation, and this QuickScan is submitted to us for review. We check the content against the law and see if we can find all the flora and fauna belonging to the local habitat in the scan. Then we give an opinion.
Preserving flora and fauna
Such an investigation process goes into effect when a permit is requested from a municipality for the construction of a neighborhood, or the extension of a house or the cutting down of a tree. 'A lot of activities fall under spatial planning,' says Althof, 'and have implications for flora and fauna. There may be bats in the cavity, perhaps swifts are nesting under a loose roof tile, an owl is nesting in a hollow in a tree, or an orchid is growing on a potential construction site. Our job is mainly to verify that everything has been paid attention to. We try to preserve as many plants and animals as possible. In the past, humans determined that, but since the conservation laws are in place, flora and fauna are assumed. It's in the law, and so it's mandatory. Just stuffing a cavity with Pur is punishable by law. Sometimes it is quite double, though. Because wherever a neighborhood is built, nature disappears. We do consider whether there are sufficient alternatives for the protected species that occur there.
Once an old barn is demolished without an investigation, there is nothing you can do about it. Any animals have then fled. Nor can you issue a fine, because you can't prove that an animal was killed or disturbed. And maybe there was nothing there at all. That is always an unpleasant situation, which often leads to questions.'
Bat fits in a matchbox
'If a protected species is spotted somewhere, we make an advisory note of it,' says Althof. 'If it involves a bird (all naturally occurring birds in the Netherlands are protected) then we advise that the work be carried out outside the breeding season. And if bats have a winter home in trees, do not point the construction lights at those trees during the winter months. That way you won't disturb their hibernation. Often QuickScans are not complete and then we complete them. Sometimes it is useful to go and see for yourself. Recently that was the case in Almelo. In a neighborhood with many old industrial buildings, buildings were to be demolished. My colleague and I saw all kinds of cracks and holes where bats and swifts could be. Common dwarf bats fit into a matchbox. So if you see cracks that size, it could very well be where they reside or breed. Yet they were not in the QuickScan. That turned out to be because the buildings were still in use. For now, the buildings remain standing, so then there is indeed no need to examine them.'
Compensatory measures
A protected animal that is booming in the Netherlands is the large wood mouse. It used to be found only in southern Limburg, but is gaining ground throughout the eastern Netherlands. Althof: "Ecologists do not yet include all of them in their research. Our job is to point this out to them and assess whether the wood mouse could live there. If a proposed construction site is the habitat of the great forest mouse, the ecologist must demonstrate by a further camera survey that it does or does not occur there. If so, a permit from the county is required. This is not required for the shrew or common toad, for example, in which case it is important to make the site free of animals before demolition or construction (wildlife-free). Jackdaws nest in large colonies high up in trees and have fixed places where they return each year to nest. So those trees should not be cut down (unless a tree is about to fall and safety is an issue). Building plans for such a spot must then be modified.
Species management plans
Just about all municipalities are currently working on species management plans. 'That means they are mapping where in the municipality the most common protected species live in buildings, such as house sparrows and swifts,' Althof explains. 'And then there's no need to do a separate survey for each addition. That saves a lot of time and a lot of money for the owners of the houses. You can see it in the streets, often large wooden boxes are placed on poles in the neighborhood, as alternative accommodation for bats. In existing construction, nest boxes for swifts on facades or under a gutter work fine. In new construction, built-in bricks are often used. A small effort, but it really means a lot for wildlife in urban areas.'
Ecologists conduct their research using the NDFF (National Data on Flora and Fauna), among other sources. 'And this not only involves animals, but also plants,' says Althof. 'You encounter protected plants less often because construction activities often take place on rich soil. Protected plants tend to grow on more sparse soils. Recently, an ecologist mentioned a primrose in a QuickScan. That is the host plant of the protected evening primrose hawkmoth and therefore important.'
Inspiring examples
"There are lots of inspiring examples and best practices online, including on the site of Natuurinclusief Bouwen and Milieu Centraal," says Althof. 'The Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland developed an approach for provinces, municipalities, architects, property developers and housing corporations to make the built environment more nature-inclusive. But a growing number of construction companies are also making a case for a healthy living environment for people and animals. As the Environment Service, we are very pleased with that.
