National Highways is on course to achieve its 2025 target of no net loss of biodiversity, having carried out a series of nature-focused work around the country.
To celebrate Nature Week, which coincides with the United Nations Biodiversity Day on 22 May, the government-owned company highlighted the green projects it has been working on. It confirmed that, since 2020, it has delivered as many biodiversity units as the amount forecasted to be lost from its activities over the five-year period.
In addition to the 2025 target, National Highways has also pledged to deliver at least a 10% net gain in biodiversity on its major enhancement projects set to be delivered between 2025 and 2030.
More than 4,500 biodiversity units have been delivered since 2020 through partnerships with conservation charities. In comparison, an estimated 4,166 biodiversity units were lost without mitigation during the same time.
Some of the biodiversity units implemented include 799 hectares of wildflower grassland, 25 hectares of peat bog habitat and 2.4 hectares of pond habitat. In addition, 621,000 trees were planted across 106 hectares of woodland.
The projects the company has worked on include a 15-year agreement to help species-rich grasslands thrive on the Greena Moor Nature Reserve in Cornwall. It has also helped bat populations thrive on historical railway structures, and transformed the site of a former opencast mine next to major M6 upgrades into new areas of wetlands, grassland and woodland.
The head of environmental delivery, Tom Clancy, said: “We know that roads can compromise the quality of the environment; fragmenting important habitats and putting pressure on plant and animal populations.
“Our work is showing that it doesn’t have to be this way. As one of the biggest landowners in the UK, we have a unique opportunity to make a difference. Working with partners, we are making important progress in halting the decline in biodiversity and looking forward to going even further in the future.”
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