About DGC
Derek Gow
Derek founded the consultancy DGC in 2003 having begun working with water voles in 1995. Derek is the sole director of the Derek Gow Consultancy. Derek has played a significant role in the reintroduction of the Eurasian beaver, the water vole and the white stork to England. He is currently working on a reintroduction project for wildcats in England and the other species identified above.
Derek helps host our annual conferences and is the author of ‘Bringing back the Beaver, ‘Birds, Beasts and Bedlam’ and ‘Hunt for the shadow of the Wolf’. He has written and presented to wider news media for many decades on the need for more effective systems of nature conservation in Britain.
Nick Viney
Nick is our Creative Director. A Regenerative farmer and artist blurring the lines between Rewilding and Regen Agriculture. Nick helps landowners reimagine their land towards a resilient Nature rich future. An early career in the veterinary world followed by nearly two decades on horseback as a Dartmoor Range Clearer. With over 30 experience in nature restoration Nick is passionate about landscape scale nature recovery and is a founding farmer of EARA Farm and Rewilding Futures.
Ecology Team
Coral Edgcumbe (MCIEEM)
Coral is DGC’s Principal Ecologist and holds multiple species licenses. Having worked for the company since 2015, she has been involved with various conservation projects for species including water vole, white stork, eurasian beaver and harvest mouse and now leads the ecology team to deliver small and large scale feasibility and mitigation projects, primarily specialising on water vole but with experience in other species including otter, dormouse, reptile and beaver.
Elle Adams (MSc)
Senior Ecologist at DGC, Elle holds multiple species licenses and joined the company in 2019. Elle started her career with us in the Husbandry department and has progressed into an ecology role leading and assisting teams alongside Coral on feasibility and mitigation projects. She has worked on numerous conservation projects for water voles, eurasian beaver, harvest mice and hazel dormice. Elle has also worked with reptiles, GCN, nesting birds, and is adept at using QGIS for creating accurate survey maps.
Taylor Davies (MSci)
Tay is our Rewilding Ecologist, which is a very varied role that includes leading tours of the site and beaver watches, conducting ecological surveys, land management, delivering courses, and caring for livestock. Tay studied Ecology & Conservation at Lancaster University before moving to the Highlands of Scotland to work on the conservation of the Dark Bordered Beauty Moth, a red-listed species living at only a handful of sites in the Cairngorms. He then went on to work at Aigas Field Centre as a Wildlife Guide and Ranger, leading tours of Highland glens and coastline in search of eagles, otters and all manner of other highland wildlife. Tay met Derek through Sir John Lister-Kaye, Director of Aigas Field Centre, Author, and friend of DGC. Tay moved to Devon in 2021 to work here at Derek Gow Consultancy.
Hazel Reading (BSc)
Hazel is an ecologist with approximately seven years of experience within the ecology sector. She joined DGC in June 2022 and has specialised in water vole survey and mitigation, as well as beaver and otter surveys. Since 2018, she has been undertaking a wide range of ecological surveys including water vole, otter, GCN, reptile, barn owl, dormouse, and nesting bird surveys. Hazel is also adept at data management and digitisation, utilising QGIS for many of DGC’s projects.
Taylor Lawton (BSc)
An ecologist of nine years, Taylor’s enthusiasm for conservation and ethology brought her to DGC in March 2024. While charming and fun loving her knowledge of flora is accentuated by her passion for researching and experimenting with natural remedies and traditional textile methods. Taylor also brings over fifteen years of research and interest in mammal psychology to DGC which she has utilised to train her dog Brook to help us find water voles through scent detection! Other fauna she has worked with include; bats, fish, small mammals, reptiles, badgers, marine birds and humans.
Jenny Tratt
Jenny has been working at Derek Gow Consultancy since 2013 and is our animal husbandry manager. She enjoys managing the Water Vole breeding programme and working with all the other species at the centre. In her spare time Jenny looks after various animals of her own!
Katie Burrell
Katie joined the animal husbandry team at Derek Gow Consultancy in 2019. She enjoys caring for all the species at the centre and helps with photography groups when needed. In her spare time Katie enjoys paddle boarding and camping in the summer and baking and crocheting in winter!
Izzy Radford
Izzy has been working at Derek Gow Consultancy since April 2024. She works as an animal husbandry assistant and also oversees the insects. In her spare time she likes to go for walks in the countryside and spending time baking sweet treats.
Lavinia Wakeham
Lavinia has been working for Derek Gow Consultancy since March 2010. She enjoys managing the photography and film work as well as being involved in all aspects of animal husbandry on and off site. When not at work she works on her beef and sheep farm, breeds Suffolk horses and enjoys spending time with her dogs.
