Meet the team

Our team brings together a wide range of experience and specialisms to provide a comprehensive range of services. The team is dynamic and is selected specifically for each project to ensure a bespoke innovative solution to each challenge. We work with in-house staff and specialist sub-contractors to provide expertise that covers all areas aspects of ecological, geological and heritage consultancy.

All our ecologists are members of, or applicants to, the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management and work to the Institute’s Code of Professional Conduct, British Standard BS42020 and best practice guidelines.

Technical Director and Principal Geologist

Dr Andy King

PhD, FGS, MCIEEM, BSc

LinkedIn: Dr Andy King

Andy is Co-Director of Geckoella and Principal Geologist with 30 years of experience in the sector. His academic interests include editorial responsibility for Volume K (Mollusca 3: Cephalopoda) of the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology and active research on the geology and fossils of Somerset, in particular Nautiloidea. As a consultant geologist, Andy has worked on the Strategic Stone Study (with English Heritage and British Geological Survey) and with Somerset County Council on identifying building stone sources, defining Mineral Safeguarding Areas and developing minerals policy. He also has specialist expertise in the sustainable management of coastal resources, including as former Chair of the SW Climate Change Impact Partnership (Biodiversity Group), looking at how to help communities to adapt to changing coastlines.

Director and Technical Lead in Ecology

Kate Jeffreys

CEnv, MCIEEM, MSc, BSc

Linked In: Kate Jeffreys

Kate is a Director of Geckoella and an ecologist with over 20 years of experience, including 13 years as Company Director. She enjoys fieldwork and project and team management, and whilst specialising in bats and botany, she has broad conservation and resource management experience across a range of terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats, both in the UK and in Sri Lanka. Her current interests include the use of Detection Dogs in ecology, and Geckoella sponsors and administers the Detection Dog Working Group for Britain and Ireland.

Office and Finance Manager

Janatha Alvarez

Linkedin: Janatha Alvarez

Janatha has a wealth of office and finance experience gained in Investment Banking in the City and more recently in manufacturing in Somerset. Janatha is key at Geckoella for all the administrative and financial support for our team, colleagues and customers and to develop and manage our growing office systems.

Senior Ecologist

Joshua Butterworth

ACIEEM, MSc, BSc

Linkedin: Joshua Butterworth

Josh is a Senior Ecologist for Geckoella. He has worked on and project managed a range of fieldwork and deskwork projects including surveys for protected species such as bats (including tree-climbing and thermal imaging), reptiles, great crested newts, water voles and otter and holds Natural England Class Licences for bats (Level 2) and hazel dormouse (Level 1).

As a keen botanist Josh recently achieved a FISC level 5 and has conducted NVC, UK Habitat Classification and Phase 1 habitat surveys for a variety of projects, as well as developing mitigation/management recommendations for conservation, residential and commercial projects. He is actively involved in ECoW roles on major infrastructure, having managed Geckoella’s involvement in HS2, Hinkley Point C Connection Project and others.

Senior Geologist and Spatial Data Lead

Jamie Foster

FGS, BSc

Linkedin: Jamie Foster

Jamie is Geckoella’s Geologist and Data Lead, and joined the team after completing his degree in Geology at Cardiff University in 2020. Jamie’s work has a broad focus, including leading Geological Assessments of Sites of Special Scientific Interest and undertaking Building Stone Analysis of historic buildings. In addition to leading on UK protected species surveys (incl. reptiles and bats) and other site investigations (e.g. Preliminary Ecological Appraisals), Jamie’s principal role on the ecological side of Geckoella is in a project and data management capacity where he manages Geckoella’s data workflows, with a focus on field data collection processes of geospatial data and its use in Geographical Information Systems.

Jamie is a project manager across both geological and ecological projects, including interdisciplinary and complex coastal management projects. Jamie manages Geckoella’s use of UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) as a survey tool across the geological and ecological sectors, with a focus in working within environmentally sensitive sites.

Ecologist

Dela Collins

MSc, BSc

Linkedin: Dela Collins

Dela graduated with an MSc in Global wildlife health and Conservation in 2018, and has been working in UK wildlife rehabilitation for the past 3+ years alongside a project on chimpanzee ecology.

Dela joined Geckoella in April 2021 to help track Greater Horseshoe bats across North Somerset. Since then she has also assisted with ecological fieldwork across Somerset as well as compiling the Watchet Hedgehog website – one of Geckoella’s conservation community projects. Dela is also leading Geckoella’s site-wide Ecological Clerk of Works monitoring role for National Grid’s Hinkley Point C Connection Project. She is very interested in public awareness and engagement, scientific research and botany.

Her background is primarily in behaviour, conservation and rehabilitation. She has strong interests in human-wildlife interaction, mitigation and survey techniques. In the 2021 season, Dela was a crucial part of our team, radio tracking Greater Horseshoe bats across North Somerset. Recently, she has been actively involved in ECoW roles on major infrastructure projects such as the Hinkley Point C Connection Project.

Ecologist

Vanessa Lloyd

MSc, BSc

Linkedin:Vanessa Lloyd

Vanessa has a broad range of ecological interests and experience in terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats. These include surveys for protected species such as bats, great crested newts and white-clawed crayfish as well as marine mammal and intertidal surveys.

Since joining Geckoella in August 2021 she has been actively involved in Phase 1 habitat surveys for Preliminary Ecological Assessments, bat emergence and transect surveys and bat sound analysis. Vanessa is currently working on natural capital and blue carbon projects for Geckoella

Outside of work, Vanessa actively volunteers as Somerset Regional Coordinator for Sea Watch Foundation running monthly marine mammal surveys with the general public and trains volunteers in marine mammal ID and survey methodology.

Seasonal Ecologist/Ecological Clerk of Works

Sophie Pearce

BSc

Linkedin:Sophie Pearce

Sophie is Geckoella’s Seasonal Ecologist and joined the team in June 2023 after graduating from the University of Plymouth with a BSc in Conservation Biology.

Sophie has a keen interest in protected species and has been involved in reptile, dormice, and bat surveys as well as bat sound and video analysis with Geckoella and is also working towards gaining her dormice license. Since joining, Sophie has also been involved in Phase 1 habitat surveys for Preliminary Ecological Assessments and has developed a strong interest in botany. Sophie is also now leading Geckoella’s site-wide Ecological Clerk of Works monitoring role for large infrastructure projects.

During her time at University, Sophie did a year internship with Dartmoor Zoological Society and carried out research into small mammal populations to help improve the zoo’s biodiversity action plan. She also assisted with the zoo’s hedgehog rehabilitation facility and carried out research into Asian short-clawed otters which she presented at the BIAZA research conference.

Geologist

Dr Dave Evans

Ph.D. B.Sc. FGS

Dave is a geologist with nearly thirty years’ experience of working in the statutory nature conservation sector where he applied his specialist background in stratigraphy and palaeontology to the conservation and management of geological heritage, working closely with stakeholders ranging from the minerals industry to major land managers and local authorities. He has experience of working on coastal management and climate change issues as well as contributing to the development of marine geoconservation.

Since joining Geckoella, Dave has contributed to work on Building Stone Analysis of historic buildings through petrographic studies comparing building stones. He also contributes Geckoella’s public engagement through leading or co-leading geological walks on the West Somerset coast. Dave also carries out the preparation of fossils and other geological materials in Geckoella’s workshop.

Dave has broad interests in Natural History and a strong academic interest in palaeontology, and has published widely on the evolution of early cephalopods (the ancestors of squids, cuttlefish, octopi and nautilus.

Artist-in-Residence and Media Lead

Alison Jacobs

BSc

Linkedin: Alison Jacobs

Alison is Artist-in-Residence and Media Lead for Geckoella. She has a BSc in Physical Geography from Derby University and a HND in Graphic Design from Somerset University. Alison has experience in design and marketing and now enjoys her art practice in Somerset, running workshops and freelancing in graphics and illustration. She leads on social media and website updates as well as supporting Geckoella’s community conservation projects including the website for Watchet Hedgehogs.

Geckoella is proud to work with a number of key Associates, who bring specialist skills and experience. These include…

Associate Ecologist

Samuel Olney

MCIEEM, BSc (Hons)

Linkedin: Samuel Olney

Samuel is an Associate Ecologist for Geckoella. Samuel started his career in conservation before coming to ecological consultancy in 2012. Samuel is experienced in undertaking Preliminary Ecological Appraisals and wide range of protected species surveys. Samuel holds Natural England (NE) licences for bats and great crested newts, a Natural Resources Wales (NRW) licence for bats, and is also a CS38 certified tree climber. Samuel is experienced in managing survey and development projects including survey and subcontractor coordination, and the compilation of technical reporting e.g. Ecological Impact Assessments and European Protected Species Mitigation Licences. Samuel has also undertaken multiple bat trapping and radio tracking projects across the country for both commercial projects and assisting in scientific research.