Botany and Invasive Plant Surveys

Botany and Invasive Plant Surveys

We undertake UKHab, botanical, NVC, protected-plant and invasive-species surveys for planning, Biodiversity Net Gain, conservation and land management.

Botanical survey can be required to classify habitats, identify priority or notable plant communities, assess habitat condition and inform mitigation or management.

Richard Green Ecology provides botanical services from broad habitat assessment through to detailed vegetation survey and monitoring.

UKHab and botanical survey

Our services include:

• UK Habitat Classification
• Botanical species inventories
• Grassland assessment
• Woodland ground-flora survey
• Hedgerow botanical survey
• Wetland and aquatic plant survey
• Protected and notable plant searches
• Habitat-condition assessment
• National Vegetation Classification
• Repeat botanical monitoring

The appropriate method and survey timing depend on the habitats and objectives. Some plant communities can only be reliably assessed during a relatively short seasonal window.

National Vegetation Classification

National Vegetation Classification, or NVC, provides a detailed method for describing plant communities.

NVC may be appropriate for:

• Sites of Special Scientific Interest
• Priority habitats
• Species-rich grassland
• Heathland and mire
• Woodland
• Wetland
• Common land
• Infrastructure and utility projects
• Habitat restoration and monitoring

NVC is not automatically required for every planning application. We will advise whether UKHab, a detailed botanical inventory or NVC is the most proportionate approach.

Invasive non-native plants

We survey for invasive plants including Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam, giant hogweed and invasive aquatic species.

Our services can include:

• Species identification
• GIS mapping
• Assessment of extent
• Biosecurity advice
• Management-plan preparation
• Construction method statements
• Monitoring of treatment
• Advice on excavation, transport and disposal

It is an offence to plant, or otherwise cause certain listed invasive plants to grow in the wild. This can include spreading contaminated soil, fragments or cut material.

The presence of a listed plant on land is not in itself always an offence, but landowners and contractors must prevent unlawful spread and comply with applicable waste, disposal and biosecurity requirements.