APEM have been involved in many studies with the various conservation agencies across the UK undertaking extensive research and monitoring projects for English Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales. We are also heavily involved in river and still water restoration, being nationally recognised experts in Water Quality and Habitat Restoration in rivers, canals, lakes and artificial water bodies such as reservoirs and dock basins. APEM are often called upon to offer impartial advice as part of an Environmental Impact Assessment especially when development activities might negatively affect conservation and restoration.
ConservationOur extensive involvement in conservation covers the full range of habitats and an impressive array of species. APEM were commissioned to write a number of key conservation documents including the Ecological Requirements for both Atlantic Salmon and Spined Loach. We have also contributed to the development of Ecological Requirements for a number of other conservation species including lampreys (three species) and bullhead. In addition we have developed monitoring techniques and strategies for a number of conservation species including Arctic char, powan, bullhead, spined loach and sea, river, and brook lamprey.
Other notable conservation projects include developing stocking guidelines for English Nature for use in assessing applications to introduce fish into areas designated for their conservation status.
Further to the development of these monitoring protocols and guidance manuals we have also undertaken extensive survey work for a wide range of conservation species. These include all of the fish species mentioned above, as well as salmon and trout in addition to crayfish and amphibians. Studies include work on species from areas as diverse as the Rivers Spey, Tay and Lochy in Scotland, the Vrynwy, Teifi, Tywi, Cleddau and Dee in Wales and rivers and still waters from Kent to Cornwall and East Anglia to Cumbria in England.
RestorationAPEM have written the Environment Agency restoration manuals - 'Restoration of Riverine Salmon Habitats - A guidance manual', and 'Coarse Fish Habitat Restoration - Still Waters'. In addition, APEM senior fish biologists Dr Keith Hendry and Dr David Cragg-Hine were lead authors for the highly regarded Salmonid 21C habitat restoration publication, the benchmark review paper for salmonid habitat restoration covering water quality, quantity and physical habitat. Other than the key publications, we are also routinely involved in habitat restoration and creation projects, ranging from major riverine studies such as our work with salmonids on the Rivers Skerne, Wyre, Calder, Wolf, Derwent, South Tyne, Tees and Haddeo through to still waters including a range of small angling lakes, to reservoirs such as the Upper Tamar Lake, through to Dock systems such as Salford Quays, Market Dock - South Shields, the Manchester Ship Canal and Cavendish Dock, Barrow-in-Furness. The scale of river and lake restoration projects we have been involved in to date range from a few thousand to £4.5 million in value.
Environmental Impact AssessmentAs the world's population grows and expanding developments encroach into the more pristine and less inhabited areas around us so humanities footprint on the natural environment grows. Not that a large omnivorous mammal should have no impact on the environment in which it lives but rather as an intelligent and morally responsible species humans should reduce the scale of this impact wherever possible. It is in this light that Environmental Impact Assessments are undertaken. APEM are a completely independent and scientifically driven environmental consultancy and as such offer unbiased advice on projects around the world. Recently we have been involved in several multi-billion dollar oil and gas pipeline schemes in Russia and its old Soviet states. Closer to home APEM have been involved with major works such as the new Terminal at Heathrow, the 2nd Runway at Manchester Airport, the Mersey Estuary Bridge and development of the Liverpool Docks and Princes Half Tide Dock. Other projects include:
- the major developments near the River Cam
- the development of Swinden Quarry
- the Second Opening Bridge - Poole
- the proposed Mottram-Tintwistle by-pass
- impact assessment of Lead Brook and the Dee Estuary
