Writing Effective Ecological Reports: A Guide to Principles and Practice

An in-depth guide to writing high-quality and effective professional ecological reports. Mike Dean distils the knowledge and experience gained over a period of more than 20 years working as an ecological consultant, during which time he has written and reviewed many such reports. There are existing good practice guidelines on ecological report writing, published by CIEEM and co-authored by the author of this book. Writing Effective Ecological Reports goes beyond those guidelines. It provides practical advice on the structure, content and style of ecological reports, using numerous case study examples to help the reader’s understanding. It also tackles topics not covered by the guidelines, such as how to write an effective summary, how to create and use a report template, how to proofread reports, and what those tasked with reviewing reports should be looking for. This book will be invaluable for any professional ecologist, or anyone hoping to become a professional ecologist. It is particularly aimed at those who write ecological reports, such as ecological consultants. However, it also provides practical advice for those tasked with reading and reviewing reports written by others, including those working for local planning authorities or nature conservation consultees. The book has been written to be useful to those with limited experience, such as recent graduates, as well as those with many years of experience as a professional ecologist, and everyone in the middle.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Competence, qualifications and experience Getting the basics right Fact versus opinion Report structure Making a start First impressions and opening lines Getting your facts right So what does all this mean? Keeping it in proportion Tables, figures, photos and appendices Creating and using a template Writing an effective Summary PEA or EcIA – what’s the difference? Writing Environmental Statement chapters Proofreading, technical review and quality assurance Tips for those reviewing reports Dealing with references How long is a report valid for? Useful sources of information

About the Author :
Mike Dean has worked as an ecological consultant since 1997, with roles in varying size consultancies from the very small (one or two staff members) to the very large multi-disciplinary consultancy, and a few in between. He’s undertaken ecological surveys and produced ecological reports of all different types and sizes. In 2013 he joined the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management’s (CIEEM) Professional Standards Committee, tasked with producing guidelines on, amongst other things, ecological report writing. He has been delivering training on report writing for CIEEM since 2015.

Review :
This is a useful guide particularly for those with limited experience, such as recent graduates, but also for those who write or review ecological reports in their profession, including ecological consultants and individuals working for local planning authorities. Anyone producing or reviewing reports within the ecology sector, at whatever level, would benefit from reading this book. In short – not ‘preferential’, but ‘essential’ for anyone involved with reports within our sector. The author, undoubtedly a skilled writer with a lucid mind, describes how one can produce quality ecological reports with proper style, structure, and contents…It should be on the bookshelf of every ecologist or anyone who wishes to write effective ecological reports.