New Construction / UK / 2011 / 08 - Land Use and Ecology /
LE 03 - Mitigating Ecological Impact
Information correct as of 13thDecember 2024. Please see kb.breeam.com for the latest compliance information.
Change in ecological value- Larger post-development area - KBCN0299
Where the post-development area is larger than the pre-development area, for example due to green undercrofts or green facades, the extra area should be included as hard landscaping before development with no species present. Post development this area should be given its own habitat type with the species numbers verified by the suitably qualified ecologist.
Change in ecological value- non-native species - KBCN0221
Non-native species specified by the Suitably Qualified Ecologist (SQE) can be included in ecology calculations. There are no requirements set for LE 03 relating to the specification of non-native species (this differs from the requirements in LE 04).
If an SQE specifies non-native plants for the development and confirms the species count pre and post development, then non-native species can be included in the ecological change calculation.
Ecological enhancements – large mixed use/multi-building developments - KBCN0588
At the Post Construction stage of assessment, for large mixed use/multi-building developments, where the whole site has not been completed and ecological enhancements have not yet been added, or where features are being added at a later date in an appropriate planting season: evidence from the client or principal contractor confirming planting will be completed within 18 months from completion of the development is acceptable.
Ecological value – timing of planting - KBCN0479
Where the 18 month deadline for the completion of the planting is likely to be exceeded due to the timing or phasing of the construction, the project team will need to clearly justify the reason for this variation, and provide a written commitment to carry out the planting within a reasonable and justifiable timescale.
Green walls – recognition of ecological value - KBCN0869
Green walls cannot be considered compliant for the, 'Minimising impact on site ecology' Issue due to concerns over high maintenance requirements, whereby the plants are not self-supporting and cannot, therefore, be considered as a sustainable solution in themselves or in mitigating the impact of the loss of ground-based planting.
In terms of 'Enhancing site ecology', however, where a specific green wall system and species mix are supported by the SQE's recommendations and there is evidence that a comprehensive on-going maintenance strategy will be in place, this can be recognised.
In such cases, a separate calculator tool may be completed for this Issue to demonstrate the species richness of the site, including the contribution of the green wall.
The following methodology may be used:
- Make a copy of your completed calculator tool for LE 03 to create a separate LE 04 calculator.
- Add the species numbers from the green wall to the total species for the site, keeping the site area the same.
- Use the resulting increase in species richness as evidence to award the relevant credit for LE 04.
30/11/17 Guidance on methodology added
LE03 / LE04 calculator – number of habitat types rows - KBCN0880
Unfortunately, due to the complexity of the calculator tool it takes a significant amount of time to add additional rows, but in cases where there are more than 20 habitat types, the following method can be followed to calculate the overall ecological value and number of credits achieved:
- Open two LE03&LE04 calculator tools (LE03&LE04 Ecology Calculator 2)
- Enter 20 habitat types into the first tool
- Take the total Ecological Value for pre-development (cell H51) from the first tool and enter this into the first habitat row of the second tool (cell F8 in NC 2011 v1.10 and cell F9 in NC 2014 v.2.0)
- Take the total site area for pre-development (cell H49) from the first tool and enter this into the first habitat row of the second calculator (cell H8 in NC 2011 and H9 in NC 2014)
- Take the total Ecological Value for post-development (cell K51) from the first tool and enter this into the second habitat row of the second calculator (cell F10 in NC 2011 and cell F11 in NC 2014)
- Take the total site area for post-development (cell K49) from the first tool and enter this into the second habitat row of the second calculator (cell K10 in NC 2011 and cell K11 in NC 2014)
- This will combine 20 species types into 2 rows, leaving space for a further 18 habitat types
- Send in both tools as evidence at QA, including this compliance note.
For a project which needs even more rows, this process can be repeated using a third tool if required. In this case all tools need to be send as evidence to QA, including this KBCN.
Risk to Ecologist’s safety - KBCN0704
In some situations a significant safety risk may prevent a suitably qualified ecologist from attending the site to undertake a site survey. In these cases a desktop study can be used to demonstrate compliance, where the ecologist confirms that it is an acceptably robust substitute.
In these cases, the assessor must provide evidence to confirm the type of significant safety risk present.
Shared ecological enhancements - KBCN0656
A site-wide approach to ecological enhancements can be used on sites where multiple buildings share areas of soft landscaping. The enhancement benefits are applied to the individual building assessments within the site.
Similarly, where a building comprises more than one assessment, eg different floor assessments, a green roof on top of that building can be used to award credits for each assessment for which the Land use and ecology issues apply.
The benefit can be applied on a site-wide basis provided all developments are completed within the appropriate timeframe of a valid ecological survey.
Suitably Qualified Ecologist – Other recognised organisations - KBCN0192
With regards to the definition of a Suitably Qualified Ecologist, in addition to the organisations already listed within the manual, full members of the following organisations are also deemed SQE's;
- Royal Society of Biology
- Institute of Environmental Sciences
Provided the individual meets all other requirements as outlined in the definition of a Suitably Qualified Ecologist (SQE).
Suitably Qualified Ecologist – Professional membership - KBCN0743
With reference to the definition provided in the technical guidance, ecologists can be considered as meeting Requirement 3 based on full membership of the organisations listed.
Those who are not full members may be considered as meeting Requirement 3, however the assessor must ensure and demonstrate, that the ecologist is covered by a professional code of conduct and is subject to peer review.
In all cases, Requirements 1 and 2 must also be met.
24 May 2024 - Updated to clarify that where ecologists who are not full members of a professional body meet the above guidance for Requirement 3, other than also meeting Requirements 1 and 2, no additional evidence or confirmation is required.
Temporary ecological enhancements prior to development - KBCN00065
Where a site has been acquired but development is not scheduled to start immediately, it is possible to determine the baseline ecological value of the site at this point. Furthermore, to recognise where positive measures to enhance ecology have been taken to manage the site until development starts, these enhancement measures will not impact on the baseline value for the purposes of the BREEAM assessment, provided that the following have been met:
- Following acquisition of the site and prior to any site clearance which involves the removal of any relevant features, the ecological value of a site is recorded in accordance with the relevant BREEAM methodology by a suitably qualified ecologist (SQE) to establish the baseline.
- The SQE confirms and records details of the temporary ecological enhancement and management strategy being implemented on the site for the period prior to scheduled development.
- For a period of up to 10 years, the initial baseline determined for the site is valid for the purposes of BREEAM assessment.
- Any enhancements prior to scheduled development that are not being carried forward into the design, construction and operational phases can be disregarded for the purposes of establishing the baseline ecological value at development.
- The assessment report shall provide documentary evidence of the above for certification.
- Any enhancement and management practices implemented prior to scheduled development that will be maintained and continued through the design, construction and into the operational phase can contribute toward the awarding of credits via the BREEAM calculator tools.
Clarification: This guidance is currently under development. Please contact BRE Global with specific project details for confirmation of whether this approach may be used.
The aim of these issues is to demonstrate the impact that a project has had on the site ecology, but comparing the site pre and post development. BREEAM does not want to penalise sites that have put in temporary ecological enhancements that enhance the ecology while waiting for development to begin.
Information correct as of 13thDecember 2024. Please see kb.breeam.com for the latest compliance information.