Taking Care Of The Large Blue
The Large Blue was common in the 18th century but had become extinct in England by 1979 because of habitat changes.
With the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, we have been working to create habitats for the butterfly.
The Centre reintroduced the Large Blue to Green Down in Somerset in 1991, which lies alongside a railway line. The butterflies spread over the next five years into the railway cutting, which we then fenced off – not for the butterflies, but to enable the Centre’s staff to have safe access to the site for their work.
The site is now one of the top three Large Blue butterfly habitats in Europe.
We then took the conservation effort a stage further. Near to Green Down the railway line is raised on an embankment that needed shoring up. Instead of simply replacing the existing topsoil after the work was completed, we worked with the Centre to choose an ideal soil type and wild seed mix suited to the Large Blue.
Our hope is that this will attract the butterflies and create another habitat in which they can flourish.
Biodiversity
Britain’s railway is a valuable environmental resource in its own right.
There are over 30,000 hectares of lineside vegetation along the 20,000 miles of the national rail network. Our lines and land pass both through some of the most industrialised urban areas and some of the remotest areas in Great Britain, including many of the national parks. This makes the railway a major national biodiversity resource.
The rail network, its lines & associated operational land, acts as a green network by creating “natural” corridors through the intensively-managed agricultural areas and linking cities & towns with the countryside.
In many places, areas along the railway line contain rich communities that are the remnants of habitats that have now almost disappeared in the surrounding area due to changes in land use, such as intensive farming or housing developments. However, we must balance the management of these areas with our obligation to provide a safe railway.
Biodiversity action plan
Given the importance of this issue, we have developed a biodiversity action plan. Its purpose is to make the business more sustainable by assisting in the sensitive management of the lineside environment.
It provides our employees, contractors and stakeholders with:
- The locations of protected sites
- Working practices relating to wildlife & vegetation on or near the railway line
- Habitat, species & activity guidance sheets which staff can use to manage biodiversity in an appropriate manner
- Contact details for regulators and non-government organisations.
Sites of Special Scientific Interest
There are over 400 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and many other protected areas & species on our land.
We work closely with English Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales to look after these SSSIs. They help us to set management standards and advise us on which sites should be prioritised for improvement.
As a major landowner, we are working with English Nature to help them to get 95% of SSSIs in England to a favourable or recovering condition by 2010. Of all our sites, English Nature has identified 18 which require attention and we are working with them to agree remedies, identify funding where required and programme necessary works.
Looking after nesting birds and protected animal species
We take special care of nesting birds and protected animal species. For example, before we clear vegetation, we survey the area to see if any nesting birds are present and check again each day of the project to look for any previously unseen nests. If a nest is found, we identify & mark an exclusion zone of at least two metres around the nest. We obtain special licenses if required and seek the advice of environmental groups where appropriate.
An ecologist is usually consulted if a protected species is likely to be present or near any area where engineering or maintenance work is going to be carried out. They look for animal activity and assess whether the work will cause any damage. Before work commences, all personnel are briefed about special working restrictions (such as areas to fence off & protect) and the appropriate procedures to follow.