Protection

Badgers and their setts are protected under the Wildlife Act 1976, Wildlife Amendment Act 2000

When do I need to get in touch?

Badgers are secretive and it is possible to be unaware of their presence on a site. If you suspect badgers are present or are unsure if you require a badger survey or badger protection simply get in touch.

Alternatively, a site’s potential to support badgers is usually identified within a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal / Phase 1 Survey.

How can EcoÉireann help me?

We advise you on badger protection and your options, including survey design and implementation, licence application and mitigation. There are a number of survey methodologies that we are able to undertake and the most appropriate techniques, or combination of techniques will be recommended depending on the project site and individual requirements.

The most commonly used assessment is known as an activity survey. This involves checking your site for field signs, which include latrines (badgers dig small holes to defecate in), snuffle holes (disturbances to top soil and vegetation made when foraging), push-throughs (small gaps in vegetation boundaries where mammals have “pushed through”, possibly leaving behind hair), footprints, and badger setts themselves.

Bait marking surveys are essential for determining the extent of badger territories. This is especially useful if multiple setts are present in the area affected by a development. Bait marking is also essential for determining the location of alternative setts should one be destroyed, or determining the ideal location for a replacement, artificial sett for mitigation purposes.

Camera trap surveying can be useful in ascertaining whether a badger sett is being used. Motion-activated cameras are deployed near badger sett entrances, left out for several days, retrieved, and images are then analysed.

Regardless of survey type we apply best practice guidelines alongside our in depth knowledge of badgers, habitat requirements and present the results in our detailed confidential reports to inform and support your projects planning application or other consenting process.