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Wildlife Management and Licensing: Advisory leaflets
A wide range of leaflets with advice on wildlife, problems that may occur and how these can be resolved, are available. They can be downloaded below or obtained from our offices, see Contact us.
- Mammals - Badgers, Bats, Deer, Dormice, Foxes, Hares, Mice, Mink, Moles, Otters, Rabbits, Rats, Squirrels, Water Voles, Wild Boar
- Birds - Geese, Bullfinches, Cormorants, Goosanders & Mergansers, House Sparrows
- Amphibians & Reptiles - Great Crested Newts, Natterjack Toads, Smooth Snakes, Sand Lizards
- Injurious Weeds
- General
- Disease and Biosecurity
Mammals
| Species | Title | Ref No |
|---|---|---|
| General | The prevention of mammal damage to trees in woodland | FCPN003  [383 kB](Forestry Commission) |
| Badgers | Advice to householders | TIN004 |
| Problems with badgers in rural areas | TIN005 [112 kB] |
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| Badger problems: use of electric fencing to prevent agricultural damage | TIN027 | |
| Badger gates in rabbit-proof fencing | TIN026 | |
| Using one-way gates on badger sett entrances (use requires a licence) | TIN025 | |
| Forest operations and badger setts | FCPG009 [436 kB] (Forestry Commission) |
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| Badgers and development | IN7.5 [166 kB] |
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| Badgers on historic sites | Landscape Advice Note 16 (English Heritage) |
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| TB in cattle: reducing the risk (includes guidance on badgers) | PB4516 [469 kB] |
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| Bats | Bats in churches | TIN043.pdf [2.4 MB] |
| Bat Mitigation Guidelines | IN13.6 | |
| Bat Workers Manual | batwork_manual (JNCC) |
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| Bats and human health | BatHhealth [107 kB] |
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| Bats: European protected species | SIN010 | |
| Deer | Deer: problems in urban and suburban areas | TAN37 |
| Recommendations for fallow, roe,and muntjac fencing: new proposals for temporary and reusable fencing | FCPN009 [6.5 MB] (Forestry Commission) |
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| Managing deer in the countryside | FCPN006 [8 MB] (Forestry Commission) |
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| Impact of deer on woodland biodiversity | FCIN036 [129 kB] (Forestry Commission) |
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| Deer Management Groups advice and support in England | Advice Note 1 [109 kB] (The Deer Initiative) |
|
| Culling Deer out of season in England and Wales | Advice Note 2 (The Deer Initiative) |
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| Dormice | Farm rodent control - how to protect dormice See also ‘mice’ and ‘rats’ below |
TIN002 |
| Foxes | The red fox in rural areas | SIN004 |
| Urban foxes | SIN003 | |
| Hares | The brown hare | SIN001 |
| Mice | House mice: options for management and control (also see "Rats" below) | TIN034 |
| Mink (North American) | Guidance on controlling mink | TAN02 |
| The GCT mink raft | minkraftleaflet [900 kB] minkrafthighres [5.2 MB](The Game Conservancy Trust) |
|
| Moles | Moles: options for management and control | TIN033 |
| Otters | Otter: European protected species | SIN006 |
| Otters and stillwater fisheries guidance | Guidance | |
| Rabbits | Rabbits: management options for preventing damage | TIN003 |
| Pests Act 1954 - Control of rabbits: information for occupiers of land | WML-G02 [105 kB] |
|
| Rabbits: use of fencing to prevent damage | TIN023 | |
| Rabbits: use of cage-trapping to prevent agicultural damage | TIN024 | |
| The prevention of rabbit damage to trees in woodland | FCPN002 [232 kB] (Forestry Commission) |
|
| Rats | Rats: options for controlling infestations | TAN34 |
| Rats: control on livestock units | TAN35 | |
| The control of rats with rodenticides - a complete guide to best practice | ratcontrolguidelines [900 kB] (Central Science Laboratory) |
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| Rodent control plan of action | Rat_Fact_8 [227 kB] (Central Science Laboratory) |
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| Urban rodent control and the safe use of rodenticides by professional users | MISC515 (HSE) |
|
| Squirrels | Urban grey squirrels | TAN09 |
| Controlling grey squirrel damage to woodlands | FCPN004 [568 kB] (Forestry Commission) |
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| Practical techniques for surveying and monitoring squirrels | FCPN011 [2.9 MB] (Forestry Commission) |
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| Water Voles | Water voles – the law in practice Guidance for planners and developers |
NE 86 [911 kB] |
| Do I need a licence to survey for water voles? | watervolesurveying |
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| Water voles and development: licensing policy | TIN042 |
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| Water vole conservation handbook (hard copy only from Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford, tel: 01865 271289) |
- | |
| Wild Boar | Feral wild boar |
SIN002 |
Birds
| Species | Title | Ref No |
|---|---|---|
| General | Birds and their control in non-agricultural environments | TAN13 |
| Birds: problems in livestock units | TIN031 | |
| Use of paraffin BP to prevent eggs of certain birds from hatching (this action requires a licence) | TIN022 | |
| A guide to those taking part in mist netting birds in buildings | TIN006 | |
| Brent Geese | The management of damage by brent geese | WCA26 |
| Code of practice on the licensed shooting of brent geese | WCA25 | |
| Canada Geese | The management of problems caused by Canada geese: a guide to best practice - new guidance published October 2007 |
TIN009 |
| Canada Geese: A guide to legal control measures | canada_geese [100 kB] (BASC) |
|
| Bullfinches | Bullfinches: preventing damage to fruit | TIN032 |
| Fish-eating (piscivorous) birds | Fisheries and the presence of cormorants, goosanders and herons - more information | TAN14 |
| Reducing the impact of comorants: the use of fish refuges | TIN028 | |
| Protecting your fishery from cormorants | MC1 [350 kB] |
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| Cormorants: The facts | MC2 [259 kB] |
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| Goosanders & Mergansers: The Facts | MC3 [244 kB] |
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| Reducing the impact of fish-eating birds: The use of nets and wires | TIN029 | |
| House Sparrows | House Sparrows in Great Britain | PB9198 [783 kB] |
| Feral Pigeons | A guide to those taking part in Alphachloralose stupefying treatments against feral pigeons | TIN007 |
Amphibians
| Title | Ref No |
|---|---|
| Herpetofauna Workers Manual (hard copy only from JNCC's mailing house NHBS, tel: 01803 858913) |
- |
| Great Crested Newts Mitigation Guidlines | Newt1 |
| Great Crested Newts: Conservation licences for pond management work | Newt2 |
| Great Crested Newt Conservation Handbook | GCNCH (Froglife) |
| Natterjack Toad: European protected species | SIN009 |
| Sand lizard: European protected species | SIN008 |
| Smooth snake: European protected species | SIN007 |
Injurious Weeds
| Title | Ref No |
|---|---|
| Identification of injurious weeds | identify [969 kB] |
| Code of practice on how to prevent the spread of Ragwort | cop_ragwort [628 kB] |
| Guidance on the disposal options for Common Ragwort | ragwort-dispose [383 kB] |
| Preventing the spread of harmful weeds | injurious-weeds |
For information on Japanese knotweed please see Defra's Non-native species: Japanese Knotweed
General
| Title | Ref No |
|---|---|
| Electric fence reference manual | R&D Surveillance Report 607 [274 kB] |
| Nature Photographers Code of Practice (hard copy only from Natural England Enquiries) |
- |
Disease and Biosecurity
| Title | Ref No |
|---|---|
| Biosecurity guidance to prevent the spread of animal diseases | biosecurity_guidance [266 kB] |
| Better Biosecurity Provides | biosecleaf |
| Avian influenza - Health advice for individuals catching and handling wild birds | Avianfluadvice |
| Farm biosecurity: protecting herd health | PB 4517 [199 kB] |
| TB in cattle: reducing the risk | PB 4516 [468 kB] |
| Biosecurity and preventing disease - guidance for poultry keepers | PB 11380 |