Skip Channel4 main Navigation
Jon Davies – ecological consultant
Jon is an ecological consultant at Cresswell Associates, who were involved in protecting the bats of Slebech Park.
My interest in wildlife developed from a young age when I used to mess around in the water meadows opposite my house in Winchester and watch wildlife films, notably Survival Anglia and the early Attenborough programmes.
I chose to study zoology at Bristol University so that I would be close to the BBC's Natural History Unit, but I got my first wildlife film job whilst studying for a masters degree in conservation at University College London. I got a job as a researcher and field consultant on a film about the rainforests of Congo which led to a few other television jobs.At the same time, I worked for several years at the Natural History Museum in London, carrying out research into tropical insect diversity (in particular, beetles) in such places as Laos, Namibia, Tanzania, Bolivia and Venezuela.
I joined Cresswell Associates, a UK-based ecological consultancy, in 1996, initially continuing my work on beetles. However, over the years I gradually moved (reluctantly) away from tropical ecology and into assessing the ecological impacts associated with UK development schemes, such as roads, pipelines, power stations and housing projects.
Although my specialist interest is still invertebrates, I now also work on the impacts of development on all UK protected species, including great crested newts, otters, dormice, badgers and bats.
Ecological consultants are responsible for ensuring that the impacts on habitats and species associated with construction work of whatever kind are kept to an absolute minimum. It is a very rewarding job.
