This Habitat Restoration self-study course has been designed to teach you everything you need to know about the creation and restoration of various types of habitats. We start by giving you a background on each habitat type and the benefits of creating and restoring them, with particular reference to protected species. 

This course is the ideal follow-up for students who have already taken our self-study Habitat Management course or for those working in Habitat Management and looking to gain a deeper insight into habitat restoration. This course is perfect for ecological consultants and conservation workers. You will gain an in-depth knowledge of the techniques needed to maintain and improve habitat quality and species diversity.

Course format: These 6 self-study modules are designed so that you can read through the content in your own time and at your own pace. To further enhance your knowledge and learning experience, there will be some directed reading and further study questions. At the end of the course, there will be a short quiz and if you get 70% you will receive a Certificate.

Time commitment: You should allow 2-4 hours for each one of the 6 modules. We advise that you also read around the subject to gain the most from this course.

Learning outcomes: By the end of the course you will have gained a wider knowledge on the subject of habitat restoration that will help equip you for jobs in the conservation and ecology sectors. You will gain an understanding of:

• reasons for creating and restoring habitats;
• how habitats and features can be created/restored to benefit a range of protected species;
• how to plan for a habitat creation/restoration project;
• a range of habitat creation and restoration techniques, specifically looking at grassland and living roofs in Module 5; and
• management and monitoring procedures.

Core text: There is a vast range of good texts on this topic. A few include:

• Gilbert G L, Anderson P (1998). Habitat Creation and Repair. Oxford University Press.
• Baines C, Smart J (1991). A Guide to Habitat Creation. The London Ecology Unit.
• Parker, D.M. (1995). Habitat Creation – A Critical Guide. English Nature.
• Walker K J et al (2003) The Restoration and Recreation of Species-Rich Lowland Grassland on Land Formerly Managed for Intensive Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Here’s what our students are saying:

A useful introduction to habitat creation/restoration and management. I like the layout.

Saskia

A really good course, giving a thorough tour of this increasingly important and relevant subject. Essential knowledge for ecological consultants. Thank you

James

This was a great course to get to know background information about habitat restoration without having to do years in a degree. I’ve already started relaying the information to people I’m around.

Becky Cairns

I liked the layout and easy means of achieving a pass, providing opportunities to try again if you fail.

Becky Cairns

Good introduction to habitat restoration with plenty of references and further reading to build on what is covered in the course.

Jake

I liked the course, it was very comprehensive. I’m surprised how much I enjoyed the online elements of the course, I thought I would do better in a face to face course but honestly being able to go at my own pace is really working for me as I can spend time on the bits I find tricky as they come up rather than making a note to look things up later… I like the YouTube videos, being able to pause or even speed up the video to match my pace works well for me. I do feel like I learnt a lot. I would 100% recommend the course to others

SC

A career change in your 40’s its quite a daunting prospect, and even though I had completed lots of self study, small courses and training- I knew there were likely a few gaps in my knowledge, so doing a full structured course made good sense. Whilst some of the content was quite familiar, I was surprised by just how big some of the knowledge gaps were – it really boosted my confidence studying the modules and realising why they were so important. It is a great course that I would recommend to anyone wanting to qualify in Conservation, and has certainly helped me in my new career working as part of a landscape recovery project team

Bill Bradshaw

The course was enjoyable and informative. I found it particularly helpful in how flexible the study time was. You could do one module and then leave it a day or two when you had more time. It has also helped my career prospects.

Tim

It was very informative and easy to access and navigate.

Tim

I liked the way Sue explained each module, she was clear and her passion was visible! She motivated me even more!

Sara

The material was concise and easy to understand; I loved the flexibility and ability to get the qualifications done at your own pace; and Sue was brilliant!

Deren