Great Crested Newt Surveys

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Legislation for Great Crested Newts

The great crested newt Triturus cristatus receives full protection under Habitats Regulations 2010 (as amended) through its inclusion on Schedule 2. Regulation 41 prohibits:

• Deliberate killing, injuring or capturing of Schedule 2 species
• Deliberate disturbance of species in such a way as:

a) To impair their ability to survive, breed, or reproduce, or to rear or nurture young; 

b) To impair their ability to hibernate or migrate;

c) To affect significantly the local distribution or abundance of the species.

• Damage or destruction of a breeding site or resting place

This species is also listed on Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and is additionally protected from:

• Intentional or reckless disturbance (at any level).
• Intentional or reckless obstruction of access to any place of shelter or protection.
• Selling, offering or exposing for sale, possession or transporting for purpose of sale. 

Great crested newts spend most of their life on land and only travel to water to breed. The core range for great crested newts is typically 250-500m from their breeding site. 

Development activities such as pond destruction or vegetation clearance or dismantling of refugia within 500m of a breeding site could comprise a loss of great crested newt habitat and could result in the disturbance, injury or killing of great crested newts.

Survey Methodology

The methodology for great crested newt surveys will depend upon the survey objectives. Some of the most common great crested newt survey methodologies are described below which comprise surveys of waterbodies within 250-500m of a site. 

Selecting waterbodies for survey may depend upon habitat connectivity between waterbodies and the site, the scale of the development and the likelihood of impacts to great crested newts as well access to the waterbodies which may lie on third party land. 

Habitat Suitability Index Assessment

A Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) assessment is typically the first stage of great crested newt field surveys.

HSI is a standard measure of calculating the suitability of a waterbody to support breeding great crested newts, based on an assessment of 10 characteristics (indices), including size, shading, depth and vegetation profile which will be collected during a daytime survey. The assessment generates a number between 0 and 1 for each of the indices which are combined to provide an overall assessment of a waterbody’s suitability to support great crested newts on a categorical scale that is translated as poor to excellent.

HSI is not a method of determining presence or absence, nor does it necessarily rule out the requirement for further surveys as great crested newts can occur in poor quality ponds.

Environmental DNA Sampling

Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling involves collecting samples of water from a waterbody and sending these off to a laboratory for analysis to identify the presence or absence of great crested newt DNA. 

The sampling protocol is as follows:

• 20 samples are taken from around the entire perimeter of the waterbody. 
• The surveyor stays out of the water while taking the samples (extension poles will be used in situations where open/sufficiently deep water is at a distance from the dry banks. 
• Survey locations will be distributed around the pond perimeter but micro-siting will be used to select locations most likely to be used by GCN. 
• At each sample location the water column will be stirred prior to taking the sample but care will be taken to avoid disturbing the sediment on the base of the pond.
• Once all 20 samples are taken, 15ml of the total sample will be pipetted into each of the 6 sampling tubes, whilst ensuring that the water in the sample bag is mixed before taking each 15ml sample and that only one sample tube is opened at any one time.
• At all times the surveyor will ensure that the risk of contaminating the sampling equipment is minimised by avoiding the placement of the ladle or pipette on the ground or on any otherwise potentially contaminated surfaces and by changing gloves between the initial sampling stage and the pipetting stages of the method. 

Population Estimate Surveys

Where great crested newt presence has been confirmed, further surveys may be necessary to obtain an estimate of population size. These population estimate surveys comprise six visits and each survey visit must utilise at least three different survey techniques. This may include:  

• Egg searches - a search of suitable aquatic and emergent vegetation around the margins of each waterbody for great crested newt eggs that are laid on leaves which are then folded over. 
• Torch surveys - scanning the surface of each waterbody with a torch when dark to count the number of great crested newts that are observed. 
• Netting - sweeping through the water of each waterbody with a net to count the number of great crested newts which are captured. 
• Bottle traps - deployment of bottle traps at 2m intervals around the edge of each waterbody at dusk and collection at dawn when the number of great crested newts that are captured are counted.  The required number of bottle traps will depend on the size of the waterbody. 

Sightings of other amphibians will also be recorded, where present.

The peak number of great crested newts captured or seen in a single survey visit is used to estimate population size.

Key Survey Considerations

The optimal period for HSI surveys is April to October when aquatic vegetation is visible but it may be possible to complete HSI surveys during the sub-optimal period depending upon other characteristics of the waterbody. eDNA sampling can only be completed during the period 15th April to 30th June. The optimal period for population estimate surveys must is mid-March to end of June though but some survey effort outside of this period may be possible subject to climatic conditions.

Population estimate surveys must also be undertaken in weather conditions which are conducive to great crested newt activity and must avoid periods of strong wind, heavy rain and cold overnight temperatures. 

Bottle traps can only be deployed for a short period of time overnight, to avoid any trapped great crested newts from running out of air, and this window depends upon the time of year in which the survey is being undertaken. 

Some population estimate survey techniques may not be appropriate for a waterbody, for example lined ponds should not be subject to bottle trapping as this can pierce the lining.

Additional Requirements

Where great crested newts will be impacted, a great crested newt mitigation licence may be required from the relevant statutory authority. There are three different approaches to great crested newt mitigation licensing including the traditional European Protected Species Licence (EPSL), a Low Impact Class Licence (LICL) and District Level Licensing (DLL)

The most appropriate licence approach for a site will depend on the level of survey effort, population size (if known) and the impact of the development on great crested newts. The level of mitigation that will be required is dependent upon the type of licence that is obtained.  Some development activities may be subject to seasonal restrictions to avoid impacting breeding or hibernating great crested newts. 

Further Survey Information

The survey will be undertaken in accordance with the following publications:

• Biggs, J., Ewald, N., Valentini, A., Gaboriaud, C., Dejean, T., Griffiths, R., Foster, J., Wilkinson, J., Arnell, A., Brotherton, P., Williams, P. and Dunn, F. (2014). Using eDNA to Develop a National Citizen Science-based Monitoring Programme for the Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus). Biological Conservation. 183. 10.1016/j.biocon.2014.11.029. 
• Langton, T., Beckett, C. and Foster, J (2001). Great Crested Newt Conservation Handbook. Froglife. Suffolk. 
• Oldham R.S., Keeble J., Swan M.J.S. and Jeffcote M. (2000). Evaluating the Suitability of Habitat for the Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus). Herpetological Journal 10(4), 143-155.