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Thameslink Programme-Delivering Network Rails first net positive biodiversity offset

Amelia Woodley – Thameslink Environment Manager, Network RailJulia Baker – Biodiversity Specialist, Parsons Brinckerhoff

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Biodiversity & Railways

Railway embankments can provide habitats for wildlife

Vegetation clearance is often required for projects that upgrade existing railway infrastructure

On-site replanting restricted by H&S regulations

Railway embankments subject to vandalism; disturbance from rail operations

Creates major challenges to preserve & enhance biodiversity

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Presentation Title: View > Header & Footer

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Thameslink

Transforming north-south travel

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Thameslink Phase 1

Solar-roof rail bridge

New viaduct

Brown roof installation

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Reconstructing London Bridge Station

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Presentation Title: View > Header & Footer

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Thameslink’s Biodiversity

Rural & urban habitats

Applied the mitigation hierarchy

Some biodiversity loss was unavoidable

Want to set biodiversity target but no uniform industry standard to measure biodiversity?

Deliver a net gain?

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Delivering a net gain

Putting a number to biodiversity

Engaging Executive Board

Delivering Biodiversity Benefits policy & procedure

Staff & supply chain training

Understanding business risk

Designing the offset

Delivering the offset.... Tree planting!

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Numbers

• Numbers are useful management tools

• Effective after understanding biodiversity

• We sought to answer two questions:

• What is the value of each Thameslink site in nature conservation terms?

• What is the primary ecological function of each Thameslink site?

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Site Nature Conservation Value Primary Ecological Function

A Low Green corridor

B Moderate Rail-locked trees

C Low Limited green corridor

D Low-Moderate Green corridor

E Very Low Very limited temporary shelter

F Very Low Very limited temporary shelter

H Low Green corridor

G Moderate-High Wildlife sheltering habitat

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Numbers

• Defra’s metric is a habitat-based tool

• Need appropriate skills & experience

Habitat Parcel Distinctiveness Condition Hectares Biodiversity Unit

LowlandMeadow

6 2 6 (6*2*6)72 biodiversity

units

Scattered trees: broadleaved

6 2 1 (6*2*1) 12 biodiversity

units

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Numbers

Appendix 1 & FEP list certain habitat types

My brief was to calculate EVERY bit of green cover on Thameslink

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Putting a number on biodiversity

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Total biodiversity baseline units

A B C D E F G

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Site B is the most valuable site in terms of biodiversity units:

a rail-locked area of silver birch trees

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Biodiversity baseline units per hectare

A B C D E F G

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its

Site B remains the most valuable site but Site F also important

Units per hectare gives further understanding of what the numbers mean

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Unavoidable loss of biodiversity

A B C D E F G

Nu

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its

Greatest loss at Site B: a rail-locked area of silver birch trees

Achieving a net gain not only in numbers, but also in nature conservation

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Engaging Executive Board

Numbers & graphs to communicate vague concepts of biodiversity

Powerful engagement tool with business leaders regardless of offsetting

For Thameslink, secured senior commitment to go beyond our planning commitment & achieve a net-gain

Developed a new policy & procedure:

Delivering Biodiversity Benefits

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Delivering biodiversity benefits

Focus on the end goal: benefits

Corporate commitment – strong message to staff & supply chain

Emphasised on-site enhancements

Transparency

Adherence to Defra’s guidance on offsetting

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Staff & supply chain training

Corporate message....

Training to support staff & supply chain

Habitat identification

Brain-storming sessions generating ideas for on-site enhancements

Changing client-contractor-ecologist relationship

New wildflower area!

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Understanding business risk

The Guardian

Biodiversity offsetting will unleash a new spirit of destruction on the land

Biodiversity offsetting attracts local opposition

Rush to biodiversity offsetting ‘massively

premature’

Working towards an appropriate solution to deliver a net gain

Awareness of views across industry, government & conservation

Potential negative impact on the business, programme & our client (dft)

Mitigating this risk through robust processes & transparency

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Designing the offset

Greatest loss rail-locked trees in South London

• Pool units into one offset or several separate offsets?

• Type of offset habitat?

• Offset location?

Developed criteria to evaluate offset proposals

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Distance to TLPDiverse native

woodland

Site designated for nature

conservation

Contribute to a biodiversity

strategy

Increase connectivity

Bring people closer to nature

Timescales TLP involvement London-based

Designing the offset

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Delivering the offset

• Partnership approach with conservation experts

• London Wildlife Trust: proactive, appropriate approach to biodiversity offsetting

• Proposals:

1. Brockwell Park

2. Dulwich Woods

Streatham Common matched criteria

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How many biodiversity units?

Multiplier Type Multiplier

Delivery Risk Difficulty low given LWT’s

expertise

Low 1

Spatial Risk Offset is in a location identified

in LWT’s biodiversity strategy –

Great North Wood Restoration

Yes No multiplier

required

Temporal Risk Years to target condition:

information from LWT &

adopted the precautionary

approach

5 years 1.2

10 years 1.4

15 years 1.7

20 years 2.0

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Offset proposals

Proposal Woodland Offset Total Cost Total

Biodiversity

Units

Cost Per

Biodiversity

Unit

Streatham

Common

Creation £18,800 12.96 £1451

Enhancement £29,200 19.20 £1521

Brockwell Park Creation £31,700 11.58 £2737

Enhancement £17,300 2.36 £7339

Dulwich Wood Enhancement £48,500 2.40 £20,208

All 3 proposals were inherently similar woodland schemes in Greater London

Dulwich wood required intensive management..... high costs for limited biodiversity

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Restoring the Great North Wood

Streatham Common is a local nature reserve & public park

adding value for wildlife

a net-gain for Thameslink

increasing public enjoyment

An offset in perpetuity...BOMP

Years 1 to 3: London Wildlife Trust

Thereafter: Lambeth Council as land owners

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Key messages

• Developed a model that fits

• Mitigation hierarchy

• Engaging Executive Board

• Training staff & supply chain

• A net-gain beyond planning commitments

• Grass-roots collaboration of industry, conservation & local government