January 2026

Aspect Ecology celebrates its 20^th Anniversary

We are delighted to announce that Aspect Ecology is 20 years old! The company was established in January 2006, during the earlier days of ecological consultancy. We began with just the founders, Alistair Baxter and Sandy Walmsley, alongside Dr Dan Simpson and Dr Colin Lee, who are now Directors.

In 2006, ecology was often the last discipline to be appointed to a project team. Projects typically required few surveys, and biodiversity net gain was not even being talked about. Consideration of off-site effects from recreation was in its infancy, with solutions such as SANGs only just being conceived. Likewise, off-site effects on biodiversity from air quality, water quality and water abstraction had yet to become widely considered.

In 2026, as we reflect on ecology as a discipline, we are delighted to see how its prominence has increased. Aspect Ecology is now often the first consultant appointed by clients to a project team, with significant baseline surveys regularly required, frequently taking 12 months or more to complete.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients and professional colleagues for all your support over the past two decades, without which we would not have achieved all that we have. Our permanent team now numbers over 50, and our seasonal field team regularly numbers around 25. Our offices have expanded significantly, as have our support systems and processes, equipment stores and fleet of vehicles. Importantly, we are now also part of the wider APEM Group, which we joined in 2023.

As we continue to go from strength to strength, we are very much looking forward to the next 20 years.

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