Biodiversity & Ecology
Ecological Surveys & Baselines
Defensible ecological surveys and biodiversity baselines for planning, compliance and impact assessment.
Overview
A baseline is the reference point for every later claim about impact, compliance or improvement. If the first survey is thin or undocumented, later monitoring cannot show change. Okala designs ecological surveys that are repeatable and suited to the decision they will inform.
How we approach it
That means a methods statement before anyone goes to site: habitats to map, taxa to survey, seasons to cover, and how records will be stored. Fieldwork uses traditional survey and technology where technology improves coverage. The report is written so a different team could repeat the work in two years and compare results.
What we deliver
- Survey design, methods statements and field protocols
- Habitat, flora and fauna surveys using field and technology-led methods
- Data management, naming and expert verification of records
- Baseline maps and species accounts with effort and limitations stated
- A monitoring specification so the same methods can be used later
- Handover of data in a form your team or another consultant can reuse
What you receive
You leave with a baseline report, the underlying data, and a note of what the survey did not cover. That last part matters as much as the species list.
When you need it
Commission a baseline before impact assessment, before a monitoring programme, or when an existing dataset is too thin to defend in a permit or financing process.
Related services
Biodiversity Impact Assessments
Impact assessments applying the mitigation hierarchy, supporting approval and investment decisions.
Endangered Species Monitoring
Population surveys, density estimates and long-term monitoring for priority and protected species.
Critical Habitat Assessments
IFC PS6 critical habitat assessments, and equivalents under EBRD PR6 and World Bank ESS6, to support lender due diligence and project approval.
Biodiversity Action & Management Plans
Plans and monitoring programmes that turn assessment findings into commitments you can track.
Habitat Mapping
Clear ecological and land-use maps that communicate habitat, risk and change for approvals, planning and stakeholder reporting.
ESIA Biodiversity Baselines
Baseline surveys and specialist studies for ESIAs that satisfy lenders and national regulators, delivered to budget and on time.