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The municipality of Enschede is currently preparing a pre SMP licence application. A pre SMP (pre Species Management Plan) is an interim ecological framework used in the Netherlands to allow sustainability and renovation works to continue while a full Species Management Plan is still being developed. The approach helps balance housing improvements, such as insulation measures, with the protection of vulnerable wildlife species including bats and birds.
Within this process, temporary mitigation measures, ecological surveys and species protection guidelines are implemented to ensure that renovation works can proceed in a legally compliant and ecologically responsible manner. Unitura supports the municipality throughout the project by providing expert consultancy, supplying the required products and carrying out the full installation works.
Through these mitigation measures, roosting sites for species such as the common pipistrelle are maintained and protected. Within the pre SMP bat strategy in Enschede, an initial compensation ratio of 1:1 is applied during the first phase of the project. In the second phase, this is scaled up to a 1:4 compensation ratio based on ecological survey results. This ensures that sufficient alternative roosting opportunities are always available before insulation works begin.
Unitura has already installed 30 maternity roosting provisions across Enschede and Boekelo. These integrated solutions provide optimal support for the local bat population. For this project, a combination of wood concrete bat boxes (VMPMK1) and specially developed pre SMP boxes was applied. The VMPMK1 boxes contain multiple compartments and internal layers, creating a range of microclimates that allow bats to select the most suitable temperature conditions throughout the year.
The dedicated pre SMP boxes are also finished with durable Rockpanel cladding and an additional insulation layer, ensuring long term protection against weather exposure. Where possible, open perp joints are incorporated into non insulated walls, providing direct access to the cavity wall for species such as serotine bats. On locations where suitable buildings were unavailable, freestanding bat towers were installed as an effective alternative roosting solution.
Accurate administration is essential under Dutch environmental legislation. Manual processing of ecological project data is often inefficient and prone to errors. To address this challenge, Unitura developed the SMP Manager in collaboration with Ecofect. This software platform plays a key role in managing the mandatory SMP administration across multiple project areas and municipalities.
The system consists of both a project module and a visualisation module. Within the project module, all ecological and project related data is stored centrally. The visualisation module then makes this information directly accessible at both property and area level. This provides all stakeholders with clear insight into the project status and supports compliance with legal requirements. In this way, the SMP Manager safeguards both the progress and the quality of the pre SMP bat project in Enschede.
A Species Management Plan (SMP) is the continuation of this pre-SMP process. Unitura hereby strives to maintain and restore the favorable conservation status of protected species. Our working method is transparent; all project data are in a shared folder accessible to the competent authority.
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