The qualification is LANTRA-certified and run by the Bat Conservation Trust, co-written and delivered by Richard Crompton, visiting bat specialist for the 2024 Guernsey Bat Survey. The court’s wide-ranging syllabus includes the following:

• Bat Biology and Ecology

• Bats and the Law

• Potential tree roost recognition

• Practical use and legal limits of endoscopes in trees

• Emergency procedures with regards to bats e.g. Annex D, relocation and immediate action required.

As an experienced climbing arborist, this qualification enables me to minimise the risk of disturbance by scaling trees and using endoscopes to inspect potential roost features safely and appropriately.

In technical terms, I am qualified to support and assist ground-based Bat surveys when there is no immediate observed evidence of bats in potential roost feature, as well as in situations where further investigation is required to determine whether trees initially assessed as medium/ high potential may be downgraded to ‘low risk’.