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Pelagic Publishing - Mike Dean

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161 pages

English

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An in-depth guide to writing high-quality and effective professional ecological reports. Mike Dean distils the knowledge and experience gained over a period of more than 20 years working as an ecological consultant, during which time he has written and reviewed many such reports.

There are existing good practice guidelines on ecological report writing, published by CIEEM and co-authored by the author of this book. Writing Effective Ecological Reports goes beyond those guidelines. It provides practical advice on the structure, content and style of ecological reports, using numerous case study examples to help the reader’s understanding. It also tackles topics not covered by the guidelines, such as how to write an effective summary, how to create and use a report template, how to proofread reports, and what those tasked with reviewing reports should be looking for.

This book will be invaluable for any professional ecologist, or anyone hoping to become a professional ecologist. It is particularly aimed at those who write ecological reports, such as ecological consultants. However, it also provides practical advice for those tasked with reading and reviewing reports written by others, including those working for local planning authorities or nature conservation consultees.

The book has been written to be useful to those with limited experience, such as recent graduates, as well as those with many years of experience as a professional ecologist, and everyone in the middle.

Introduction

Competence, qualifications and experience

Getting the basics right

Fact versus opinion

Report structure

Making a start

First impressions and opening lines

Getting your facts right

So what does all this mean?

Keeping it in proportion

Tables, figures, photos and appendices

Creating and using a template

Writing an effective Summary

PEA or EcIA – what’s the difference?

Writing Environmental Statement chapters

Proofreading, technical review and quality assurance

Tips for those reviewing reports

Dealing with references

How long is a report valid for?

Useful sources of information

Sujets

Sciences de la nature

Sciences de l'environnement

454 Life Sciences

Ecology

Engineering

Technology

Writing

Biology

Sciences et techniques

Technical Writing

Life Sciences

Informations

Publié par	Pelagic Publishing
Date de parution	04 janvier 2021
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781784272425
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,2500€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Writing Effective Ecological Reports
Writing Effective Ecological Reports
A Guide to Principles and Practice
Mike Dean
Pelagic Publishing | www.pelagicpublishing.com
Published by Pelagic Publishing
PO Box 874
Exeter
EX3 9BR
UK
www.pelagicpublishing.com
Writing Effective Ecological Reports: A Guide to Principles and Practice
ISBN 978-1-78427-241-8 (Pbk)
ISBN 978-1-78427-242-5 (ePub)
ISBN 978-1-78427-243-2 (ePDF)
Copyright © 2021 Mike Dean
The moral rights of the author have been asserted.
All rights reserved. Apart from short excerpts for use in research or for reviews, no part of this document may be printed or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, now known or hereafter invented or otherwise without prior permission from the publisher.
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
Cover image: River Wye, iStock/fotoVoyager.
Contents
List of text boxes
Foreword by Mike Oxford
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction
Key characteristics
2. Competence, qualifications and experience
3. Getting the basics right
General
The passive voice
Impersonal style
Emotive language
Accuracy with words describing quantities
Forming sentences
Forming paragraphs
Tenses
Certainty of language
Punctuation
Bullet points and numbered lists
Abbreviations/acronyms
Species names
Brackets
Headings and sub-headings
Sub-sub-headings
Numbering
Avoiding double negatives
Font size and type, and paragraph or line spacing
Highlighting text
Headers and footers
4. Fact versus opinion
5. Report structure
6. Making a start
7. First impressions and opening lines
Title Page or Cover Page
Contents Page
Introduction
8. Getting your facts right
9. So what does all this mean?
10. Keeping it in proportion
11. Tables, figures, photos and appendices
Contents Pages
Tables
Figures, drawings, maps or plans
Photos
Other illustrations or drawings
Appendices
12. Creating and using a template
Why use a template?
What are the drawbacks?
Other options
Solutions to the pitfalls of using a template
How to set up a template
How to use a template
13. Writing an effective Summary
14. PEA or EcIA Reports - what s the difference?
PEA Reports
EcIA Reports
What do these differences mean?
When can you submit a PEA Report instead of an EcIA Report with a planning application?
15. Writing Environmental Statement chapters
Background
Scheme description
Assessment methods
Structure
Cross-referencing
Consultation
Summaries
16. Proofreading, technical review and Quality Assurance
17. Tips for those reviewing reports
18. Referencing sources
19. How long is a report valid?
20. Useful sources of information
Appendix A: Suggested headings and sub-headings for an ecological survey report
Appendix B: Suggested headings and sub-headings for Preliminary Ecological Appraisal Reports
Appendix C: Suggested headings and sub-headings for Ecological Impact Assessment Reports
Appendix D: Suggested headings and sub-headings for Biodiversity Action Plans or Strategies
Appendix E: Suggested headings and sub-headings for an ecological monitoring report
Appendix F: Suggested headings and sub-headings for an ecological monitoring strategy
Appendix G: Suggested headings and sub-headings for ecological method statements
Index
Text boxes
1. Possible consequences of poor versus good reports
2. Fact, evidence, opinion, and professional judgement
3. Different types of ecological report, their purposes and target audience
4. Competence
5. Desk study information - details to be provided
6. Typical layout of assessment section of an Environmental Statement chapter versus a stand-alone EcIA Report
Foreword
When Mike Dean asked if I would write the foreword to this book, of course I said yes. I wanted to add my enthusiastic endorsement for such valuable new guidance for the ecological profession. However, when I agreed, I thought it would be an easy task. After all, I have been working in ecology and the planning system for over thirty years. I have read and reviewed hundreds of ecological reports and written my fair share too. So, how difficult could it be to pen a short foreword? But as I sit here to write the first words, I ve been struck by just how important and timely Writing Effective Ecological Reports really is.
All this has taken me by surprise, and my task is a little more daunting than I first imagined. This book deserves the ecological equivalent of a trumpet fanfare. Perhaps a 90-decibel recording of a rampant, roaring bull elephant sent out as an mp3 file to every practising ecologist. It really is that sort of book; it warrants such a proclamation.
Mike has produced a book that should be essential reading for anyone involved in writing or reviewing ecological reports. It should be on everyone s reference shelf. In fact, this book is probably relevant to every single ecologist, as I can t think of one professional role where, at some point, you wouldn t need to know how to write a report effectively .
When I read Mike s draft a few months ago, I had both an emotional and instinctive response. First, was envy! Why hadn t I thought of this brilliant idea, as it fills such an obvious gap in the market? That said, it is hard to be envious of someone who I respect and hold in such high esteem. While Mike is the consummate professional, and capable of pin-point clarity over what is right or wrong with a report, he is also extremely humble. And don t take my word for it, just read the opening of Chapter 1 . Right from the outset, he avoids preaching from a pedestal and instead concedes that he is capable of making mistakes just like the rest of us. And this is a tone that runs throughout the book. He sets out to offer clear insight into what makes for an effective ecological report from the position of someone who has learned the lessons the hard way.
Setting aside my fleeting feelings of envy, I now come to the deeper instinctive reaction I had when I started to understand what Mike is trying to achieve here. Simply put, he wants us all to be able to write really effective ecological reports. But think about it, that is incredibly ambitious! From my own perspective, gathered over three decades of working in and with local planning authorities all around the UK, I d say a large proportion of ecological reports fall far short of being fully effective. But why does the need for effective ecological reports stir me at some primal level? I would have to say it s partly to do with self-preservation, along with a burning desire to ensure my great-grandchildren (no, I don t have any yet) are also able to enjoy a future filled with nature in all the diversity I have enjoyed during my life.
It s clear to me that, as ecologists, we need to know how we can communicate, to the very best of our abilities, about the perils facing the natural environment and the means by which, as a society, we can mitigate that damage. And let s be under no illusions, us ecologists have a huge responsibility to help halt the decline of biodiversity. We need to do that here in the UK and anywhere else we may work around the globe. This is one of the main reasons I get out of bed in the morning (although, as I get older, getting to the bathroom is normally the first!). By the way, Mike says he s not keen on authors putting text inside brackets!
At the time of writing this foreword, the year 2020 has been extraordinary for many reasons. I am sure the speed at which the global pandemic has affected just about every aspect of modern life will be a long-lasting mark in the history books. However, I will also remember 2020 as the year we saw signs that humanity was truly waking up to the idea that there is a very real and present danger from the biodiversity and climate emergencies. Scientists everywhere tell us that urgent action is required. And people are beginning to take notice. Politicians are even standing on the world stage and committing their governments to ambitious environmental targets.
We need to turn their rhetoric into action. But that s no easy task. Taking action to avert widespread species extinctions and planet-wide habitat decline is all about communicating the issues and challenges; it s about providing robust assessments of potential ecological damage and harm; it means developing and delivering well-conceived practical solutions that actually halt and reverse declines in biodiversity.
Let s not underestimate the task: halting biodiversity loss at the scale required will mean unprecedented levels of effort, informed by exceptionally rigorous technical and professional capabilities. As ecologists, we have our work cut out.
Here s the thing though. It doesn t matter how good an ecologist we think we are. In fact, it matters not a speck on the kneecap of a daddy-long-legs (that ll be the Tipulidae family) whether we are a brilliant entomologist (or any kind of other - ologist ) if we can t communicate effectively with our audience over why and what specific action is needed.
So, to be blunt, if we do not write effective ecological reports, we will, to varying degrees, have failed in our mission. We will have missed the opportunity presented in that moment to halt further loss of biodiversity. I believe it is Yoda in one of the Star Wars films who says:
Do or do not. There is no try.
This quote offers a simple lesson in commitment and the power of giving something our all - not just giving it a try! In other words, if we write an ecological report that isn t fully effective, then we are only giving it a try and any significant weaknesses in the report may mean:
The protection of biodiversity we do not do!
I was proud to be part of the team that saw the publication of the first ever British Standard for Biodiversity,