Our Story

Where we started

The consultancy began its life in the 1990’s as a service offered by Kent Trust for Nature Conservation, Kent Wildlife Trust’s former iteration. It was led by Conservation Officer Anne Waite who, along with a team of freelance ecological consultants, offered professional services such as Preliminary Ecological Assessments, habitat surveys, and protected species surveys for a range of clients looking to do their bit for nature. The consultancy asserted its place at the forefront of ecological expertise in Kent when, in 1999, Anne put together the Kent Red Data Book, a provisional guide to the rare and threatened flora and fauna of Kent, an extensively researched piece with collaborative input from local nature historians. As lead Project Manager, Anne continues to drive the consultancy’s important work and high integrity values to this day.

Over the next two decades the consultancy expanded its team of ecological consultants, starting with our fantastic Land Management Advisor Neil Coombs in the early 2000's, who has since worked extensively with land managers across the county to help deliver numerous wildlife gains across Kent’s celebrated farmed landscape. The full team now comprises a diverse skillset field ecologists, digital ecologists, nature-based solutions specialists, ornithologists, botanists, and marine biologists.

In 2015, amid growing urgency to address the climate and biodiversity crises, the Trust recognised the need for a standalone consultancy with flexibility, skillset, and expertise to engage with a wider range of corporate clients. This is when Managing Director Vincent Ganley came on board, who facilitated the 2019 launch of Kent Wildlife Trust Consultancy Services as a separate company, wholly owned by Kent Wildlife Trust Group, with its profits channelled to the Trust’s conservation work. Vinny’s energy, vision, and boundary-pushing approach has driven many new achievements, with the consultancy going from strength to strength.

Where we are now

Since its inception in 2019, KWTCS tripled its annual turnover, bringing in £800K through its services in 2022 with £85K profits directed to the Trust in gift aid. Clients to date have spanned multiple sectors and include local authorities, government departments, utility companies, transport infrastructure, urban developers, dozens of landowners, and, of course, Kent Wildlife Trust itself.  The team is continually expanding, currently comprising around 20 staff based across the country, and our combined expertise puts us at the forefront of carbon and BNG markets.

Most of our clients to date have been based in Kent. However, we now take on work from across the UK, with clients throughout much the South and East, and as far afield as Scotland. Therefore, while our relationship with Kent Wildlife Trust remains unchanged, we felt it were time to remove the “Kent” from our own branding to reflect the national scope of our consultancy services offering.

Consequently, as of July 2023 Kent Wildlife Trust Consultancy Services has re-branded to Adonis Blue Environmental Consultants (AB Environmental for short). The new name reflects our persisting link to Kent Wildlife Trust by keeping its iconic mascot, the Adonis Blue butterfly, at the heart of the brand. This new era will allow us to bring our sector-leading expert services to more clients across the UK and engage in larger, more ambitious projects, all while supporting conservation goals in Kent.    

For more information on our current services offerings, please explore the "What We Do" section of our website, and don't hesitate to get in touch to discuss how we can help you do your bit to support nature's recovery.