About Us

Laura Carter-Davis is the Managing Director of Echoes Ecology and has worked with the company since 2007.  She holds a NatureScot licence for bats (including harp trapping), badgers and otters, a Bat Low Impact licence and is a Level One Registered Badger Worker (Scottish Badgers).  In addition, Laura is a qualified tree climber (NPTC) and Lantra-certified Conservation Detection Dog Handler.  Her interests relate to mammal surveying, including for otter, water vole and pine marten.  Her role involves the management of customer deliverables and team resources, as well as the project management of more complex casework.  Laura has substantial experience with applying for protected species licences and developing associated mitigation and compensation strategies.

In her spare time Laura enjoys canicross with her labradors (the muddier the trails, the better, according to Poppy and Bree).  Laura indulges her creative side with the art of taxidermy.

Heather Simpson joined Echoes Ecology in 2013 and is now the Principal Ecologist.  Heather is an experienced botanist, carrying out Phase 1, NVC and invasive species surveys, as well as mammal, bird, reptile and amphibian surveys.  She holds a NatureScot Great Crested Newt licence, a Schedule 1 bird licence and is a qualified tree climber.    Her roles within Echoes Ecology include case management, field surveying and report writing, and staff development and mentoring.

Heather is a keen hill runner and spends most weekends attempting to run up hills whilst wishing her cocker spaniel Meg didn’t make it look so easy.

Heather Campbell joined the Echoes Ecology team full time in 2018 and now acts as Senior Ecologist.  Prior to this she worked as a Seasonal Ecologist at Echoes from 2014-2015 and then as an ecologist at an engineering company.    She holds a NatureScot Roost Visitor and Harp Trapping Licence for bats and a NatureScot Bat Low Impact Licence.   She’s also a qualified tree climber (NPTC) and holds a Sentinel card for working on railways.

Heather has undertaken a wide range of protected species surveys for bats, badger, otter, water vole, red squirrels, great crested newts and reptiles.  She has undertaken Ecological Clerk of Work duties on various schemes including large-scale railway infrastructure projects and develops licensable mitigation and compensation strategies for bats, badger and water vole.  Her other core strengths relate to BatSound and Analook bat echolocation analysis.

In her spare time, Heather regularly explores the wilderness of Scotland with her crazy collie Whiskey and short-legged sausage dog Cheech.

Rosanna joined the Echoes Ecology team in 2018 and has since been involved in a wide range of consultancy cases in sectors such as renewable energy, civil engineering and housing construction.  Rosanna holds a NatureScot Roost Visitor Licence for bats and is a named agent on a Schedule 1 bird licence.  She undertakes most of the ornithological surveys within the company, as well as PEAs,  invasive species surveys and mammal surveys.   Rosanna is also a qualified tree climber (NPTC) and an experienced Ecological Clerk of Works (ECoW).  She regularly applies for protected species licences and develops mitigation and compensation strategies as well as ecological enhancements.

Outside of work Rosanna can be found exploring with her dog Nala on foot or by boat, and knitting up something cosy to keep herself warm.

Matt joined the Echoes Ecology team in 2022 as an Ecologist.  Prior to  Echoes, Matt worked as a Tree and Woodland Operative with West Lothian Council.

Matt has worked within the conservation, ecology and arboriculture sector since completing his studies; he holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Marine Biology from Newcastle University (2016) and a Countryside Management Diploma (2018).  Matt has undertaken a wide range of protected species surveys for bats, badger, barn owl, otter, great crested newts, water vole and red squirrel, and undertaken Ecological Clerk of Work duties on large-scale infrastructure projects.

Matt holds NatureScot and Natural England (Class 1) licences for great crested newts.

Outside of work, Matt is a keen hiker and paddle boarder, usually found up a hill or on a loch with his cocker spaniel Rowan.

Shelby joined the Echoes Ecology team in April 2023. Prior to Echoes, Shelby was working as a consultant ecologist at an engineering firm.

 Shelby has worked in the ecology, conservation, and outdoor sector for over a decade. She holds a BSc in Outdoor Education and Environmental Science and a MSc in Ecology and is a qualified tree climber (NPTC). She has worked on various protected species surveys including, bat, badger, water vole, red squirrel and otter. She has worked on a variety of projects including renewable energy, habitat restoration, and large-scale developments nationally and internationally. 

In her spare time, Shelby can be found out in her van with her dogs, at home cooking up a storm or curled up with her cats. 

Kay joined the Echoes Ecology team full time in 2022 as an Assistant Ecologist, having worked for the summer as a seasonal staff member. She has a Postgraduate Diploma in Wildlife and Conservation Management from Scotland’s Rural College and is hoping to continue her studies to attain a MSc in the field. Prior to joining Echoes, Kay has worked as a countryside ranger with both Clackmannanshire Council and Forestry and Land Scotland. Kay is currently working towards her Level One Badger Worker Course, and had completed courses in survey techniques, identification and ecology for species including bats, amphibians and reptiles, birds and plants. She also volunteers with British Trust for Ornithology, Bat Conservation Trust, and Scottish Badgers.

In her spare time Kay can either be found outdoors either walking with her dog Nixie or paddleboarding, or cosied up indoors knitting gnomes with some home baking.

In addition to our full time team, we have a very strong and adaptive team of trained and qualified part-time seasonal employees. This team typically doubles our field survey strength during the period April to October annually, and provides us with a wide range of additional skills to our business ranging from field surveyors (including bat call analysis and the organisation of our automated bat detector systems), through to the provision of support functions (e.g. health and safety cover on remote sites).

Click Here to visit Achilles website for more details.

Click Here to visit CIEEM website for more details.

Click Here to visit the Bat Conservancy Trust website for more details.

Click Here to visit the RBS Mentor website for more details.