Access and conservation are uneasy bedfellows. For as access increases, the tougher it becomes to achieve a site’s conservation objectives. Inevitably tensions then arise between the conservationists seeking to manage a site for Nature and the public accessing it.

By far the largest group accessing greenspaces are dog walkers. According to Natural England’s annual MENE study, this may now be approaching two billion dog-walking visits to the countryside every year! So this group is a key problem for many sites.

Utilising the Consultancy’s significant dog owner market research, plus its first hand understanding of disturbance’s impact, a unique and effective method for dealing with dog disturbance has been developed.