Lewis Saunders
I have had a lifelong interest in the natural world but my formal ecological career started with a degree in Ecology from the University of East Anglia, graduating in 2012, where my dissertation focused on the effect which nitrogen deposition from intensive animal rearing was having on the lower plant biota of unique Breckland grass heaths. I also spent much of my free time over the course of my degree exploring the biologically rich Norfolk countryside learning to identify plants and fungi.
My interest in ecology, and botany in particular, strengthened still further after university and I became an active member of several local natural history recording groups in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. Since then I have been an active biological recorder contributing towards several different recording schemes and flora projects, including the BSBI Atlas 2020. In 2019 I achieved a Level 5 in the BSBI’s Field Identification Skills Certificate (FISC).
As a professional ecologist I have been employed by ecological consultancies, and have worked freelance for environmental consultancies, research institutions, NGO’s, and private landowners. In 2016 I set up Lewis Saunders Ecology to continue focusing on botany and the quality of my ecological work. My work has been varied with a particular emphasis on botanical and habitat survey and assessment in all it guises. Through varied projects I have worked on many designated sites and the range of habitats throughout the UK, gaining a deep understanding of British ecology and its value.
