Ecology has always sat at the heart of how we work, not as a discipline we bring in to tick a box, but as one strand of a much wider conversation about a site.
This issue of The Guide looks at why that matters more than ever: getting under the skin of ecology surveys, what they mean for a project, and a closer look at a residential scheme where early ecological thinking didn't just protect what was there, but helped shape a better design for everyone, wildlife included.
Both pieces point to the same idea: ecology works best when it's embedded from the outset, not bolted on at the end.
