Licences granted under the Wildlife Act

Summary

The requester asked for copies of all Wildlife Act licences issued in 2025, and the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture provided a specific research permit for the Manx Wildlife Trust while withholding other information under partial exemption.

Key Facts

• The disclosed document is a Wildlife Act Personal Licence (WLA/PO27/25) and Marine Nature Reserves Permit (WLA_MNR07/25).
• The permit authorizes the Manx Wildlife Trust and supervised personnel to deploy Baited Remote Underwater Video Stations (BRUVS) for research.
• Activities are permitted in ten specific Marine Nature Reserves including Ramsey Bay, Laxey Bay, and Douglas Bay.
• The permit is valid from 15th May 2025 to 30th April 2026.
• Non-compliance with the permit terms may result in penalties of up to £10,000.

Data Disclosed

• WLA/PO27/25
• WLA_MNR07/25
• 1st January 2025
• 15th May 2025
• 30th April 2026
• 17th April 2025
• 14th May 2025
• £10,000
• 98 pages
• 2 documents

Exemptions Cited

• Part exempt (specific exemption clauses not detailed in the provided text)

Original Request

Please provide copies of all the licences issued under the Wildlife Act 1990 (as amended) including any conditions attached, from 1st January 2025 to the date of this request. I am requesting the full license not just summaries or statistical information.

Data Tables (2)

Full Response Text

DEFA, Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Road, St. Johns, Isle of Man, IM4 3AS. Tel no. (01624) 685884 Email: fisheries@gov.im

Wildlife Act 1990 WLA Licence and Marine Nature Reserves Permit: Wildlife Act Personal Licence: WLA/PO27/25 Marine Nature Reserves Permit: WLA_MNR07/25

In exercise of the powers conferred on the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture by Sections 16 and 33 (2)(b) of the Wildlife Act 1990 and Byelaw 14 of the Manx Marine Nature Reserves Byelaws 2018, the person(s)/entities detailed below are hereby permitted to carry out the activities listed below which would otherwise be prohibited by the Act and/or the Byelaws. Use of this licence/permit is subject to the conditions and recommendations specified below.

Permitted persons  Lara Howe (Manx Wildlife Trust)
 Delegated persons under their direct supervision (i.e. accompanying persons)

Permitted activities For research and investigation purposes via the deployment of Baited Remote Underwater Video Stations (BRUVS) and: i) Incidental extraction or damage to protected species and habitats otherwise protected under the above legislation: ii) within the following Marine Nature Reserves (MNRs);  Ramsey Bay MNR  Laxey Bay MNR  Douglas Bay MNR  Little Ness MNR  Langness MNR  Baie ny Carrickey MNR  Calf and Wart Bank MNR  Port Erin Bay MNR  Niarbyl Bay MNR  West Coast MNR

iii) And elsewhere within the territorial sea.

Permit Recommendations: 1. Compliance with the Marine Nature Reserves Byelaws 20181 must be observed, except as otherwise permitted.

1 https://www.gov.im/media/1362727/manx-marine-nature-reserves-byelaws-2018-sd-2018-0186-300920.pdf
DEFA, Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Road, St. Johns, Isle of Man, IM4 3AS. Tel no. (01624) 685884 Email: fisheries@gov.im

1. During permitted activities the permit holder(s) must exercise the utmost care to avoid undue disturbance to the habitats and species within the specified MNRs2 and protected species and habitats elsewhere within the territorial sea.
2. Activities must be consistent with the methodologies outlined in the document ‘BRUV Survey Proposal’ (as provided to DEFA via email on 17th April 2025)
3. Locations and timings of BRUV deployments should be pre-agreed with DEFA prior to deployment (as outlined in the document referred to at 3.)
4. Intended deployments in the Western Irish Sea Mud Belt (WISMB) must liaise with DEFA prior to any use of BRUVS in this area.
5. Deployments within designated Eelgrass Conservation Zones, and other known eelgrass areas3 must use appropriate micro-siting procedures to mitigate potential damage to eelgrass (as outlined in the document referred to at 3.)
6. Reporting requirements are outlined at Appendix 1, and must be complied with before any subsequent licence/permit will be issued.
7. This permit is valid from 15th May 2025 – 30th April 2026 (inclusive) and may be modified or revoked at any time by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture.

Signed:

Dr Peter Duncan (DEFA Senior Marine Environment Officer)

Date: 14th May, 2025

2 Details of the Marine Nature Reserves and their designation features can be found here; https://gov.im/MNR

3 See: https://consult.gov.im/environment-food-and-agriculture/establishment-of-a-new-marine-nature- reserve/ REDACTED DEFA, Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Road, St. Johns, Isle of Man, IM4 3AS. Tel no. (01624) 685884 Email: fisheries@gov.im

IMPORTANT

This licence/permit authorises activities that would otherwise be offences under the Wildlife Act 1990. Failure to comply with its terms and recommendations:  May be an offence against the Wildlife Act 1990 with penalties of up to £10,000.
 May result in your permission to use this permit being withdrawn. DEFA will inform the permit holder if this permit is withdrawn in writing. This sanction may be applied to other similar permits.

If the activity that you wish to undertake is not covered by this permit, or if you are unable to comply with any of the terms and recommendations which apply to the use of this permit, then you must inform DEFA at the earliest opportunity and may need to apply for an additional permit.

Relevant legislation  Wildlife Act 1990  Manx Marine Nature Reserves (Designation) Order 2018  Manx Marine Nature Reserves Byelaws 2018

The limits of Licences and Permits  Licences/Permits allow action only for the purposes specified.  Licences/Permits do not allow actions prohibited under any other legislation, nor do they confer any right of entry upon land.

Activity on Protected Sites This licence/permit is not permission from DEFA for an activity that could otherwise damage a Marine Nature Reserve (MNR). The MNR Byelaws and Guidance Notes4 provide details of restrictions within MNRs and their primary designation features.

As indicated; byelaws must be complied with (unless otherwise permitted), and during permitted activities the permit holder(s) must exercise the utmost care to avoid undue disturbance to the habitats and species within the specified MNRs and, as applicable, restore the area, as much as possible, to pre-sampling condition,. e.g. fill in holes, ensure no overturned rocks etc.

Privacy Notice DEFA’s Privacy Notice https://www.gov.im/about-the-government/departments/environment-food-and- agriculture/privacy-notice/

4https://www.gov.im/media/1388366/guidance-notes-for-marine-nature-reserve-designations-v4 25- uploaded-280425.pdf

DEFA, Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Road, St. Johns, Isle of Man, IM4 3AS. Tel no. (01624) 685884 Email: fisheries@gov.im

APPENDIX 1 Reporting Requirements

 Practical problems or issues associated with the trials should be reported to DEFA as soon as practically possible.

 Updates on deployment events and preliminary results should be provided to DEFA via the regular meetings as part of the current Service Level Agreement, or as otherwise appropriate.

 An annual review between MWT and DEFA should occur (as outlined in the document referred to at 3 above).

Ecosystem Policy Team, DEFA, Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Road, St. Johns, Isle of Man, IM4 3AS Tel no. (01624) 651577 Email: ecopolicy@gov.im www.gov.im

Page 1 of 4

Wildlife Act 1990 Personal Licence: Licence No. WLA/P001/25

In exercise of the powers conferred on the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture by Section 16 of the Wildlife Act 1990, the person detailed below is hereby licensed to carry out the activities listed below which would otherwise be prohibited by the Act and the Byelaws. Use of this licence is subject to the conditions specified below.

Licensed persons

Licensed activities For scientific and educational purposes – to survey and disturb bats for the purposes of enabling the bat mitigation measures agreed under planning applications 23/00488/B and 24/10117/AIR, at Berrag Farm, Sandygate, Ramsey, IM7 3BS, including the translocation and exclusion of bats from specified sections of the interior of the Berrag Farm barns, including the: i) Disturbance of bats (all species) (Chiroptera), including the capture and release of bats, and

ii) Surveying of bats (all species) (Chiroptera) by means of:  Artificial light (e.g. torches);  Infra-red reflectance;  Thermal imaging technologies;  Endoscopes;  Hand;
 Static hand-held nets;

iii) The possession of dead bats.

Licence Conditions 1) Persons acting under this licence must abide by the most up to date iterations of the relevant species guidance. In this context the relevant species guidance includes:  The advice within the Bat Workers Manual (see Information and Advice note);  The Bat Mitigation Guidelines (see Information and Advice note);  The Bat Survey Guidelines (see Information and Advice note); and
 The guidance on capture and marking of bats in WML-G39 Guidance on the capture and marking of bats under the authority of a Natural England Licence

2) No capturing, handling, exclusion or translocation of bats, or other works on the Berrag Farm barns which may result in the disturbance, damage or destruction of bats and their roost spaces, may take place until the results of a winter hibernation survey; proof of completion of the ‘bat barn’; and a detailed methodology for works on the Berrag Farm barns, has been provided to the DEFA Ecosystem Policy Team and statutory written advice has been issued.

REDACTED Ecosystem Policy Team, DEFA, Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Road, St. Johns, Isle of Man, IM4 3AS Tel no. (01624) 651577 Email: ecopolicy@gov.im www.gov.im

Page 2 of 4 3) The licensee may directly supervise Mrs Katie Brewer, who holds a UK Level 1 bat licence, in the above licensed activities.
4) Hibernating bats may be disturbed but not handled.
5) When using an endoscope if dependent young of bats are found the endoscope will be withdrawn immediately.
6) Any artificial light will be shone on a bat for the minimum length of time. 7) No unnecessary suffering will be caused to bats under the control of the licence holder. 8) The general condition of bats will be assessed upon capture. 9) Any bats taken under this licence shall be liberated at the site of capture, or into the constructed Berrag Farm bat barn immediately after examination. 10) There is no limit to the number of bats that can be disturbed and taken under this licence provided all conditions and notes are adhered to. 11) All trapping must be undertaken at temperatures above 8°C. 12) This licence does not convey any right of entry upon land, and the landowner’s/occupier’s prior permission must be obtained, as necessary, before use of the licence.
13) Adequate precautions will be undertaken to prevent the spread of Covid (SARS-CoV-2) from humans to bats. 14) The licence holder must maintain a record, which must be kept for at least 12 months beyond the expiry date of this licence, in accordance with the requirements of Annex A. Records are to be made available for inspection at any reasonable time by DEFA. 15) The licensee is responsible for ensuring that any licensed activities comply with all terms and conditions of the licence 16) The licence holder must comply with the reporting requirements specified in Annex A. Reports including ‘nil’ returns, must be submitted for the period 14th January 2025 to the 31st December 2025 by no later than 31st January 2026. 17) This licence is valid from 14th January 2025 until 31st December 2025 and may be modified or revoked at any time by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture.

Signed ……… ……………………………….

Date………14/1/25…………………………………….

Dr Ken Milne Director of Environment Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture

IMPORTANT This licence authorises acts that would otherwise be offences under the Wildlife Act 1990. Failure to comply with its terms and conditions: i. May be an offence against the Wildlife Act 1990 with penalties of up to £10,000.
ii. May result in your permission to use this licence being withdrawn. DEFA will inform the licence holder in writing if this licence is withdrawn. This sanction may be applied to other similar licences. If the activity that you wish to undertake is not covered by this licence, or if you are unable to comply with any of the terms and conditions which apply to the use of this licence, then you will need to apply to DEFA for an additional licence.

INFORMATION AND ADVICE specific to this licence Guidance of surveying REDACTED Ecosystem Policy Team, DEFA, Thie Slieau Whallian, Foxdale Road, St. Johns, Isle of Man, IM4 3AS Tel no. (01624) 651577 Email: ecopolicy@gov.im www.gov.im

Page 3 of 4 a. The Bat Workers Manual is available from the JNCC website. More general advice is given in “The Bat Mitigation guidelines” on Gov.uk and the Bat Conservation Trust’s “Bat Surveys for Professional Ecologists: Good Practice Guidelines (4th edition)”. You will be expected to check whether this guidance has been updated and if so, to ensure that you act in accordance with the most up to date version.

Relevant legislation and good practice b. All equipment used for the purposes of this licence shall be so constructed and maintained as to avoid cruelty and distress to bats. c. Persons acting under this licence may photograph bats in connection with licensed work provided that this causes no additional disturbance. d. Possession of a licence to disturb or capture bats indicates that the licensee has demonstrated an appropriated level of competence in these activities. The licence should not be used or taken to indicate competence in any other activity that may be associated with work on bats. e. DEFA recommends that anyone handling bats wears gloves and is suitably vaccinated against rabies. f. A licence is not required for the short-term keeping of injured bats that were obtained legally for the purpose of tending them in order to release them when no longer disabled. However, if the bats are to be kept for longer than six months then the carer should apply for a licence to possess bats.

The limits of licences g. Licences permit action only for the purposes specified on that licence. h. Licences do not permit actions prohibited under any other legislation, nor do they confer any right of entry upon land.

Protected Sites A licence is not permission from DEFA for an activity that could damage an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI). The notification documents for each ASSI contain a list of operation that could damage its special features and for which prior permission from DEFA is required. Owners and occupiers of sites notified as ASSIs are required to give written notice to DEFA before beginning any of these operations, or allowing someone else to carry out these activities. A similar process applies for public bodies.
https://www.gov.im/protectedsites

Biosecurity Users of this licence should consider the risks of activities to biosecurity and take relevant precautions.

Covid-19 To prevent the transmission of Covid-19 from humans to bats the following actions must be undertaken:  Avoid coming in to close proximity of a roost and handling bats wherever possible and use alternative options.  Minimise the time spent in close proximity and handling bats.
 If working within close proximity of an active roost (2m or less) then consider doing a lateral flow test first, PPE including a face covering and gloves must be worn.  Individuals feeling unwell; with any symptoms of Covid-19; who

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