About Dan
Dan Bennett
Principal Ecologist
Dan has over 20 years’ industry experience, starting as an aquatic biologist and then as a conservation officer for the Environment Agency. After a year working on conservation projects abroad, Dan worked in the ecology team for a large international consultancy for over a decade, providing and managing ecological components of a series of nationally important infrastructure projects (motorways, pipelines, reservoirs, and flood risk management, overseeing protected species surveys, preparing Environmental Impact Assessments, designing mitigation strategies, and delivering protected species licenses. During this time, Dan found himself travelling and working on many high-profile projects all over the UK in Wales, Manchester, Aberdeenshire, as well as closer to home in Kent and Sussex.
At the Ecology Co-op, Dan continues to secure EPS licenses for various development projects, providing solutions to more ‘tricky’ projects, however Dan’s strengths lie in the field, surveying for a wide range of subjects, including all protected species, wintering and breeding birds, and botanical assessments. He has more recently been able to pursue his long-standing ambition to specialise in terrestrial invertebrate ecology, by undertaking extensive aquatic invertebrate surveys on National Nature Reserves for Natural England, terrestrial invertebrate surveys on a ‘brownfield’ site in Essex and two sand quarries in Surrey and West Sussex and promoting invertebrate conservation into mitigation design wherever he can!
Outside of work, Dan has enjoyed travelling abroad to find exotic wildlife and volunteering for a variety of wildlife organisations. More recently, staying closer to home growing his veggies, volunteering with the local environmental community group and pond dipping with his growing family!
Licenses and Key Experience
Bat level 2 license - CL19,
Dormouse level 1 license - CL10A,
Great crested newt level 2 license - CL09
White-clawed crayfish level 1 licence - CL11
FISC Level 4 botanist
Competent breeding/wintering bird surveyor.
Preparing and editing Ecological Impact Assessments, Preliminary Ecological Appraisals and other specialist reports
Great crested newt EPS licenses, dormouse EPS Licenses, bat EPS licenses, badger licenses, conservation licenses for water vole, sch. 8 plants (e.g. Broad-leaved cudweed) and Roman snail.
Mentoring other team members and quality assurance of reports
Undertaking aquatic and terrestrial invertebrate surveys and providing specialist advice on invertebrate conservation across the company.
Contact Dan