Railways should clearly demonstrate the contribution to the support of healthy ecosystems, and the gains obtained by connecting grey and green/blue infrastructures. This relevance stems from the pivotal role that railways play in striving towards meeting the need for decarbonisation of transport by 2030. The contribution to such progress requires the harmonised integration of biodiversity targets into asset management activities to deliver sustainable infrastructures without loss of value. Within the framework of the International Union of Railways (UIC), several strategies and actions for railway stakeholders have been developed to minimise biodiversity loss, and to value the railways’ natural capital. In this article, the UIC’s strategy and vision on sustainable habitat management will be outlined through the recent activities and outcomes of several technical projects. Moreover, the development of the future of vegetation control on railways is also illustrated to develop a multi-method holistic approach for tackling the invasive species along railway network. Finally, a guideline to link each railway asset with UIC’s biodiversity strategy by mean of implementation of the mitigation hierarchy has been developed for railway infrastructures. As the focus extends to the development of sustainable construction for new rail lines, UIC, together with its members, has initiated the “Ecosystem Valuation for Railways” (ECOV4R) project. This ambitious global approach is aiming to assess, evaluate and monetise the ecosystem services before and after the development and construction of new railway lines.
Preserving Biodiversity in Railways: Global Strategies for Sustainable Habitat Management
Lect.Notes Mobility
Transport Research Arena Conference ; 2024 ; Dublin, Ireland April 15, 2024 - April 18, 2024
Transport Transitions: Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility ; Chapter : 16 ; 107-113
2025-07-19
7 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English
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