Highways Agency

Glossary

Active biodiversity management

Managing the network to support the protection of both habitats and species as a key component of the Agency's commitment to minimise its impact on the natural environment.

Advice Note

Specific management and mitigation guidance provided in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges relating to particular ecological issues, usually individual species likely to be affected by road construction or improvement (e.g. otters, bats, badgers).

Biodiversity

The variety of life on earth. Most often articulated in terms of the abundance and variety of species and habitats.

Calcareous grassland

Species-rich grassland occurring on shallow lime-rich soils on chalk or limestone rock. Often supports a relatively wide variety of rare or threatened plants and invertebrates.

Coppicing

The traditional form of management of much of the broadleaved woodland in the UK, by cutting down trees and shrubs near ground level, allowing the tree to re-grow from the stump, and re-cutting at intervals of one or more decades to provide long straight poles.

The core network

The most important national road routes, comprising approximately 60% of the existing trunk roads, which have been selected to remain the responsibility of the Highways Agency. Responsibility for the remaining 40% of non-core trunk roads will be transferred to local authorities.

County Wildlife Sites

Sites considered being of local importance (County or District level) for nature conservation. They have no legal designation.

Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB)

A comprehensive handbook published (and regularly updated and augmented) by the Highways Agency, providing best practice guidance for the construction, operation and management of roads and bridges. Contains advice relating to the protection and enhancement of species and habitats.

Environmental Database

A standardised, nationally-consistent database of the Highways Agency's ecological and environmental assets, designed both for operational and strategic purposes. The functions of the database are: to record and utilise environmental data for cost-effective and environmentally-sound network management; to enable the Agencyto make strategic, statistical analysis of its environmental resource; and to facilitate monitoring of environmental performance.

Environment Management Plans

Route-based plans currently being produced by Managing Agents which will deal with the management of all environmental elements on the soft estate.

Epiphytic flora

Plant species which live on other plants without extracting nutrients or otherwise compromising the host.

Handover Report

A landscape document produced in conjunction with new road schemes detailing the planting proposals (including the species to be used) for the road verge.

Hibernaculum

A refuge used by a hibernating animal, generally relating to amphibians, reptiles and bats.

Integrated Transport White Paper

A government policy document aimed at developing a modern integrated transport infrastructure which facilitates easy and efficient travel whilst safeguarding the environment, tackling congestion and reducing pollution.

Key Performance Indicators

These are features relating to road maintenance, operation and management (e.g. numbers of road accidents, noise levels, air quality, biodiversity) for which targets have been set by the Agency (or by the Secretary of State) to ensure that the achievement of aims can be monitored.

Landscape and Ecological Strategy

A document prepared for a particular stretch of road which provides details (usually in the form of annotated route maps) of the landscape provisions and ecological resources of the soft estate. Includes information on wildflower planting, local nature conservation designations, and, in some cases, the presence of protected species or mitigation measures for protected species.

LBAP Database

A database produced as part of the commission for the Stage 1 Report which presents summarised information (in particular, those issues relating to roads and the work of the Highways Agency) from each of the Local Biodiversity Action Plans reviewed during the study.

Lead partner

An organisation that has been given the responsibility under the UKBAP for coordinating work and reporting on progress with the published UK species or habitat action plan. The Lead Partner organisation will usually have identified an individual who can provide information, advice or ideas on the conservation of the species or habitat in question.

Managing Agents

These contractors are responsible for the day-to-day management, maintenance and operation of all trunk roads in each of 20 Highways Agency Areas, including works of an environmental nature.

Mitigation

Activity carried out to negate or compensate for the forecasted impacts of a development, including new roads and road improvement schemes. Ecological mitigation can include measures to minimise the likelihood of protected species road casualties, the recreation of ecologically valuable habitat on the road verge, and the introduction of pollution control to protect aquatic habitats.

Network

The trunk road and motorway network for which the Agency is responsible.

Network Information

Ecological survey data gathered by Managing Agents relating to the road verges in the area for which they have responsibility. At the time of the Stage 1 Report, surveys had not completed for some of the Highways Agency areas, so the information collated for the report was incomplete. The type of data recorded varied from area to area, including plant species lists, records of protected species, locations of local nature conservation site designations, and the presence of mitigation measures (such as deer signs, and badger fencing).

Non-core network

Approximately 40% of existing trunk roads (the non-core network) are to become the responsibility of local authorities, with the remaining 60%

(the core network) to be managed by the Highways Agency.

Pollarding

A traditional form of management of broadleaved woodland in the UK, similar to coppicing, with trees cut above the reach of herbivorous mammals. This technique was largely used in wood pastures and parklands.

Priority Habitat

A habitat for which a costed Action Plan has been prepared in either Tranche 1 or Tranche 2 of the UKBAP (formerly referred to as 'key habitats').

Priority Species

A species for which a costed Action Plan has been prepared in either Tranche 1 or Tranche 2 of the UKBAP. Priority Species are those that were initially listed on the short and middle lists of the UKBAP (Tranche 1). All remaining species from the long list are now referred to as Species of Conservation Concern.

Ramsar site

A wetlands area of international importance designated by signatories to the 1971 'Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat' (Ramsar Convention).

Rank grassland

Unmanaged grassland dominated by coarse grasses. Of limited benefit for biodiversity, but can support large populations of field voles, an important prey item for kestrels, barn owls and other birds of prey which hunt on road verges.

Road improvement works

These can comprise road widening schemes, bridge repairs, improvements to signage, installation of cables/pipes or any other works relating to improving the functioning of a road.

Road verge

The strip of land/habitat between the carriageway and the highway boundary fence.

Route Management Strategy

An open process for planning future investment in the maintenance, operation and improvement of individual routes, integrating local and regional land and transport interests into the decision-making process.

Saproxylic

Saproxylic species are those that depend on wood, usually but not always dead and decaying wood, for some part of their life-cycle.

Site of Nature Conservation Importance (SINC)

A non-statutory site, designated at Local Authority level for its nature conservation interest (see also County Wildlife sites).

Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

An area of land notified under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 as being of special natural conversation interest. The SSSI designation applies throughout Great Britain. Sites are notified by English Nature in England.

The Soft Estate

The entire road verge resource of the Highways Agency, covering all trunk roads and motorways in England.

Special Area of Conservation (SAC)

A site of European importance for wildlife designated by the UK Government under the EC Habitats Directive, where the necessary management is applied for the maintenance or restoration of the habitats and/or species for which the site has been designated.

Special Protection Area (SPA)

A site of international importance for birds designated by the UK Government under the EC Birds Directive, where appropriate steps are taken to protect the bird species for which the site has been designated. Together, SACs and SPAs form a network of European sites known as Natura 2000.

Stage 1 Report

The report on the audit and consultation stage of the HABAP, incorporating a review of existing ecological information for the soft estate, and an analysis of the potential relevance of Local BAPs to the future biodiversity work of the Highways Agency.

Sustainable Development

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Sustainability

Maintaining the environments natural qualities and characteristics and its capacity to fulfil its full range of functions, including the maintenance of biodiversity.

Term Maintenance Contractor

Contractors to the Managing Agent who undertake the day-to-day maintenance and management work on the trunk road network, including habitat management.

Transport for London

The organisation responsible for the maintenance and operation of the trunk road and motorway network in Greater London (this formerly comprised four Highways Agency Areas).

Trunk Road Maintenance Manual

A Highways Agency handbook providing detailed guidance to contractors undertaking the maintenance and management work on the trunk road network. It includes requirements relating to the maintenance of all landscape and ecological elements within the Highways Agency's responsibility, including areas of grassland and scrub, hedges, planted areas and wetlands.

Unitary Authorities

New local government areas created following the Local Government Boundary Reorganisation. In addition to the Counties, many unitary authorities have also produced their own local biodiversity action plans.

Wildlife corridor

A linear habitat feature, which links two or more habitats within a landscape, and along which wildlife can move.

The Wildlife Trusts

Non-governmental, charitable organisations concerned with local nature conservation issues (generally covering an individual county or group of counties).