Nature under pressure

Our estate is a thin slice through the British countryside which supports a wide range of plant and animal species, living in many different habitats. This biodiversity is under pressure. There are many competing demands for the same areas of land, for transport infrastructure, agriculture, industry, and housing. Our network has seven million neighbours, but it’s not just human ones that we have to consider when doing our work.

Railway’s uniqueness

We know that nature uses our estate, whether it’s a refuge from the pressures of agriculture, industry, and development, or simply an isolated community of plants due to geology and topography. Across the network we have wildlife that is found nowhere else on the planet!

• Carnations in Cornwall – the Deptford pink, a member of the carnation family, although sadly no longer in Deptford, is found in just 38 locations across Britain, with two of them being on the railway. Protecting this plant doesn’t need to conflict with railway operations. In fact, our activities are probably the reason that the plant has such a stronghold near Saltash station in Cornwall. Found right by an access point, the plant benefits from the regular disturbance which keeps competing vegetation at bay. The local teams know about the plant and have created signage to make sure everyone else does too.
• Trees in the Avon Gorge – The Portishead branch line, known as the POD line, is unique because of the number of different species of whitebeam tree growing beside it, some of which are found nowhere else in the world. The isolated populations of whitebeam have developed into different species identified by variations in their leaf shape. The line has been referred to as ‘Network Rail’s Galapagos’ because of the synergy with the Galapagos Islands where, almost 200 hundred years ago, Charles Darwin noted that isolation of plants and animals led to changes over time in the way they looked, ate, grew, and the habitats in which they lived. 

Habitat management plans

The habitats we manage alongside the railway can heavily influence not only safety and performance targets, but also our environmental obligations. When biodiversity is measured using the biodiversity metric, it uses habitat as a proxy for that biodiversity. The type and size of habitat you are looking at, the condition it is in and how well connected it is to other similar sites will influence the level of biodiversity that can be assumed. To increase the amount of biodiversity, the factors that we have the most control over are condition and connectivity.

• Condition – each habitat has a number of features that proactive management can support. These include removal of invasive, non-native species, which is consistent across all habitats. For example, the condition of woodland habitat will improve with improved canopy structure, provision of dead wood habitat and reduced density of trees.
• Connectivity – also referred to as ‘strategic significance’ is measured based on how well the habitat connects with wider networks or aligns with local plans.

We have an estate of 52,000 hectares that has a railway running through it. Safe access has to be planned well in advance to avoid disruption, and each habitat will have its own requirements and protected species that need to be taken in to account.  This is where the habitat management plans come in.  They will be based on knowledge of the habitat; an understanding of the condition; and the expert advice that can determine what work is required, and when to achieve both railway and environmental objectives. Knowing what is there means that we can carry out work at the right time of year, and always make sure we have the necessary checks and permissions in place before starting.

These management plans are being developed and will cover the whole railway estate and assist managers in transforming habitats to ones that can be biodiverse and safe for trains to pass by.

Nature-based solutions

Climate change poses challenges for biodiversity because of changing environmental pressures, such as rainfall, storm events, and summer and winter temperatures. These climate challenges are also affecting railway operations, and while there are engineering solutions to many of these challenges, we can also use nature to help.

The traditional engineered solution to a flooding scenario is to remove the water as quickly and safely as possible. A new drain, manufactured from carbon intensive concrete solves the immediate problem for the railway, but may just move the water on to cause issues further downstream. Work needs to be done, and safety is still paramount, but it may be possible to prevent the flooding in a different way using nature. Working outside the fence with adjacent landowners gives the opportunity to help them manage the land differently to slow down the flow of water.  This work at the top end of a river catchment, to increase the amount of water that sinks into the ground, or be taken up by vegetation, means that the existing railway drainage systems are not overwhelmed and the railway is not flooded.  The new habitat that is created can not only increase the amount of biodiversity, but also take up and store carbon.

Community tree-planting

We have to manage trees and other vegetation in order to provide a safe performing railway. The short-term impact of that management can bring us into conflict with our neighbours – one-third of the population of Britain lives within 500 metres of a railway line. Working with organisations like the Tree Council we can support communities wanting to improve their health, wellbeing and local environment.

The Tree Council actively supports community tree, hedgerow, and orchard projects that boost agricultural productivity and create publicly accessible green spaces that promote physical and mental well-being.

The Network Rail Community Tree Planting Fund makes available grants of between £2,500 and £10,000 for projects in England, Scotland and Wales. Open to wide range of applicants, including local authorities, community groups and landowners.

https://treecouncil.org.uk/grants-and-guidance/our-grants/

Related pages

I need to manage biodiversity/vegetation
Biodiversity Net Gain
Nature-based Solutions
Our partnership with the Tree Council