Protected wildlife in working forests

Summary Description:

Protected under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, badgers and badger setts are one of the most frequent constraints encountered by forestry operators. Forestry Commission Practice Guides require buffer zones around active badger setts in which forestry machinery is prohibited. However, recent reviews have determined that there is little scientifically robust evidence supporting the efficacy of these buffer zones.

This PhD project aims to quantify the behavioural and physiological stress indicators of badgers arising from potentially disturbing forestry activities, develop New Badger Guidance to be used in the wider UK forestry industry, and create a scientifically robust method developed for assessing disturbance impacts of forestry operations applicable to study of other protected woodland species.