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Tag: biodiversity

Using artificial intelligence to help our furry neighbours

Our railway is home to a variety of plant and animals, including the rare and elusive dormice. Find out how we’re using innovative methods to help our small and furry neighbours.  Hazel dormice are known to live along the edge of certain stretches of railway, mainly in south England and along the Welsh border. The … Continued

Bats: our flying commuters

Did you know the railway is a commuting route for bats? Bats follow the landscape using sound rather than sight at night. They navigate their routes by using sound waves to understand the distance and size of surrounding objects. Roads and motorways are often too wide and brightly lit for bats who do not like to … Continued

Biodiversity around the railway

We find many protected species around the railway, from bats to great crested newts. That’s because we’re one of the biggest landowners in Britain and our property spans a wide range of landscapes and habitats. It’s our responsibility to do our best to protect the wildlife that’s made its home on the railway while we … Continued

Seven times we improved biodiversity around the railway

We’re working hard to improve the way we manage biodiversity around the railway.  Our Biodiversity Action Plan, published last year, is about land by the railway that’s managed sustainably for safety, performance, the environment, our customers and our neighbours who live by the railway.  It outlines our ambitions for our biodiversity assets, and how we intend to protect, manage and … Continued

Trackside Tara and a big biodiversity project

Trackside Tara talks about her passion for a big biodiversity project, which will create a dedicated site to protect wildlife for years to come. Tara Scott, a route infrastructure engineer in our Eastern region, is one of our most senior engineers. She’s championed an important and innovative project at a former railway works compound near … Continued

Latest technology to improve thousands of miles of biodiversity

Scientists are using cutting-edge technology as part of our ambitious plan to improve sustainability near the railway. We have a huge responsibility to look after the land around Britain’s railway. In fact, we own and manage 53,000 hectares of land, including 200 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology … Continued

Our commitment to helping biodiversity

We’ve just planted thousands of trees and published our Biodiversity Action Plan as we underscore our commitment to helping the environment around the railway. We’ve joined forces with national conservation charity The Tree Council to plant more than 80,000 trees and hedgerows across the country this winter. It’s part of a four-year, £1m tree planting … Continued

Change the Game – Q and A with ecologist Nathaniel Legall

Growing up, Nathaniel Legall looked up to Attenborough and his science teacher – but didn’t know he, too, could make a career out of his love for the outdoors. Today, he’s one of our many ecologists. We talk to Nathaniel about where to look for careers helping the environment and biodiversity and why it’s important … Continued

Film – a railway rich in biodiversity

Running Britain’s railway comes with great responsibility for the land and wildlife beside it. Folkestone Warren, a country park along the Kent seafront, sits near one of the main railway routes from Folkestone to London. It’s one of our finest examples of biodiversity – take a short walk from the beach and find rare bees, … Continued

World Environment Day 2020

This World Environment Day, we’re highlighting our aim to improve our impact on biodiversity around Britain’s railway. Sustainable Land Use Programme One of our biggest initiatives is the Sustainable Land Use Programme, which will ultimately help us improve biodiversity by helping us manage our vegetation as an asset. We are targeting no net loss of … Continued

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