Somerset Wildlife Trust Consultancy

What Somerset Wildlife Trust Consultancy does

Somerset Wildlife Trust Consultancy (legal name S.W.T. (Sales) Limited) is a UK-based environmental consultancy and wholly-owned subsidiary of Somerset Wildlife Trust, formed in 2010 and rebranded from First Ecology to its current name in May 2024. Operating from Cheddar, Somerset with 15 employees, the company delivers ecological surveys, protected species mitigation, arboricultural consultancy, land advice, and land management services to local authorities, government departments, utility companies, transport infrastructure providers, urban developers, private landowners, community groups, and Somerset Wildlife Trust's own reserves. The rebrand coincided with an expansion of the service portfolio to address the Environment Act 2021's Biodiversity Net Gain requirements and voluntary green markets such as Wilder Carbon.

Name

Somerset Wildlife Trust Consultancy

Legal name

S.W.T. (Sales) Limited

Website

https://swtconsultancy.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Somerset Wildlife Trust Consultancy is a UK-based environmental consultancy and subsidiary of Somerset Wildlife Trust providing ecological surveys, arboriculture, Biodiversity Net Gain, Wilder Carbon, and land management services to developers, landowners, utilities, and public-sector clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Consulting Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife, Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation Administration (BPAIAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB), Conservation & Human–Wildlife Conflict Mitigation (BPAGAIAI)

Keywords

• Ecological consultancy services
• Arboricultural surveys
• Biodiversity net gain
• Land management services
• Protected species surveys

Headquarters

HQ city

Cheddar, Somerset

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ecological Consultancy Services: Professional ecological services including surveys, assessments, protected species mitigation, and long-term management planning for diverse clients including local authorities, developers, landowners, and utilities.
2. Arboricultural Services: Tree surveys, risk assessments, woodland management, and arboricultural guidance for planning and development compliance.
3. Land Management Services: Habitat creation, restoration, and management including sensitive pre-construction vegetation clearance and species mitigation.
4. Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Services: BNG feasibility studies, baseline calculations, ecology design, habitat management and monitoring plans for developers and landowners. Revenue generated through consultancy fees and unit sales from habitat creation.
5. Wilder Carbon Projects: Carbon+ projects delivering carbon lock-up with biodiversity gains. Working with Wilder Carbon as trusted deliverer to develop projects with landowners seeking to use their land for carbon sequestration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Somerset Wildlife Trust Consultancy is a professional environmental consultancy delivering integrated ecological, arboricultural, land advice, and land management services. Core offerings include ecological surveys, protected species mitigation and licensing, Biodiversity Net Gain feasibility studies and 30-year habitat management plans, Wilder Carbon project development, arboricultural surveys for planning and risk, and habitat creation and restoration. Services are delivered to local authorities, developers, utility companies, construction firms, architects, planners, and landowners across the South West of England and South Wales, with the in-house team licensed to work with protected species such as bats, badgers, dormice, and great crested newts.

Product overview

Somerset Wildlife Trust Consultancy (SWTC) is an environmental consultancy offering a unified portfolio of ecological, arboricultural, land advice, and land management services. Formerly operating as First Ecology (rebranded May 2024), the company now integrates its professional consultancy expertise with Somerset Wildlife Trust's 60 years of conservation experience. The core offering spans four service areas: Ecology Services (protected species surveys, preliminary ecological appraisals, BREEAM, ecological clerk of works), Arboriculture Services (tree surveys for planning and risk management), Land Advice Services (Biodiversity Net Gain, Wilder Carbon, biodiversity baselines), and Land Management Services (habitat creation, restoration, and protected species mitigation). SWTC serves diverse clients including developers, landowners, local authorities, utility companies, and construction firms across Somerset and beyond.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ecology Services Comprehensive ecological consultancy services covering preliminary ecological appraisals, protected species surveys, BREEAM assessments, and ecological clerk of works for development projects requiring statutory compliance.
• Arboriculture Services Professional arboricultural consultancy covering BS5837 tree surveys for planning, tree risk management using QTRA, and woodland asset management for domestic and commercial clients.
• Land Advice Services Expert land advice leveraging 60 years of Somerset Wildlife Trust experience to help landowners maximise biodiversity value and explore green finance mechanisms including Biodiversity Net Gain and Wilder Carbon projects.
• Land Management Services Habitat creation, restoration, and management services including protected species mitigation, delivered by trained and licensed ecologists from survey through to solution.
• Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Consultancy services supporting developers and landowners with mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain requirements, including baseline calculations using the Statutory Metric, habitat design, and 30-year Habitat Management and Monitoring Plans.
• Wilder Carbon Carbon sequestration projects delivered in partnership with Wilder Carbon, providing Soil Association accredited carbon units alongside measurable biodiversity gains and ecosystem services for landowners.
• Preliminary Ecological Appraisal Initial site assessment classifying habitats and evaluating protected and notable species to inform development viability and enable early identification of ecological constraints.
• Protected Species Services Survey, mitigation, and licensing services for protected species including badgers, bats, birds, hazel dormice, reptiles, and wetland species such as water voles, otters, and beavers.
• BREEAM Assessment Sustainability assessment services supporting clients to demonstrate BREEAM environmental performance standards within the land use and ecology category for design and post-construction stages.
• Ecological Clerk of Works On-site ecological oversight ensuring construction works comply with legislation, planning conditions, and European Protected Species licence requirements.
• Biodiversity Baseline

Quantifiable outcome

• Habitat unit uplifts of +62.00 to +159.00 achievable on BNG projects, averaging over 6.5 units per hectare delivered
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Wilder CarboncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWTC is one of a handful of trusted organisations working with Wilder Carbon to develop carbon projects with landowners. Wilder Carbon provides a mechanism for landowners to match with UK buyers seeking to reduce their own carbon emissions. SWTC delivers Wilder Carbon projects which are Carbon+, meaning they deliver carbon lock-up, measurably increase biodiversity, and provide ecosystem services. SWTC provides surveys, project development, design, and registration support for Wilder Carbon projects.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Arcadis: Global design and consultancy firm with UK environmental consulting and ecology capabilities serving developers, infrastructure clients and public sector — competes on integrated bids.
• WSP: Global professional services firm with a large UK environmental and ecology practice offering BNG, EIA and ecology services integrated with engineering, planning and design capabilities.
• RSK Group: Large UK environmental and engineering consultancy offering ecology, arboriculture, BNG and land management services across multiple regions, competing for developer and infrastructure frameworks.
• Mott MacDonald: Global multi-discipline engineering and environmental consultancy with a substantial ecology and BNG practice that competes for major development and infrastructure projects, often as prime consultant.

Direct peers

• Aspect Ecology: UK-based ecological consultancy providing protected species surveys, ecological appraisals, BNG services and arboricultural input to developers, planners and landowners — directly overlapping SWTC's core service mix and customer segments.
• Ecology Solutions: Specialist UK ecological consultancy providing PEA, protected species surveys, BNG, arboriculture and ecological clerk of works — closely aligned service portfolio with SWTC and overlapping developer/landowner client base.
• Greengage Environmental: Independent UK environmental consultancy covering ecology, arboriculture, BNG and landscape — competes directly with SWTC for developer, planning and infrastructure projects across the UK.
• AC Ecology (A C Consultants): Long-established UK ecological consultancy offering protected species surveys, ecological impact assessments, arboriculture and BNG services to construction and development clients — a direct specialist competitor.

Emerging players

• NatureSpace Partnership: Specialist BNG provider and metric signatory operating in the West of England, helping developers deliver biodiversity gain — overlaps with SWTC's BNG service line in a shared regional footprint.

Regional players

• Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust Consultancy: Sibling Wildlife Trust trading subsidiary offering ecological surveys, BNG, arboriculture and land management to developers and landowners in the East Midlands — directly comparable Wildlife Trust consultancy business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swtconsultancy

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Somerset Wildlife Trust Consultancy