Natural England's Appointed Testing Laboratory

We’re delighted to announce that we have been appointed once again as Natural England’s appointed Great Crested Newt eDNA testing provider.

Great Crested Newts are a protected species in the UK due to having suffered huge population declines in the last century. This means that potential breeding spots must be surveyed prior to any development to establish if newts are present, to avoid their habitats being disturbed or destroyed.

Natural England’s District Level Licensing involves district wide eDNA surveys to map zones which indicate where there is the highest risk to the conservation status of great crested newts as well as identifying areas where habitat creation would most benefit the newts.

eDNA is the genetic material left by organisms in their environment. Samples collected from bodies of water can be tested for the presence of eDNA left by great crested newts to establish if they are present and to monitor the success of habitat creation associated with the District Level Licensing Scheme.

This will be the 5th consecutive testing season Cellmark eDNA Testing has been appointed by Natural England.