Highways Agency

Biodiversity and the Work of the Highways Agency

Biodiversity and roads policy

In 1998, the Government published a white paper on the future of transport, 'A New Deal for Transport: better for everyone', with the aim of developing an integrated transport policy whilst promoting sustainable development.

Under the 'New Deal for Trunk Roads in England' the Agency is committed to the Government's objectives to 'minimise the impact of the trunk road network on both the natural and the built environment', and 'to play a full role in implementing the Government's Biodiversity Action Plans'.

In 1999, the Agency published its Environmental Strategic Plan: 'Towards a balance with nature', a follow-up to its 1996 report 'Living with roads'. One of the key actions identified in the Plan is 'the development of a biodiversity action plan for the management of the soft estate, founded on the Government's actions to protect species and habitats'.

The Highways Agency Business Plan for 2000-2001 described how progress against the Agency's environmental objectives was to be monitored against key performance indicators. The biodiversity KPI for 2001-2002 was that 50% of the network (by length) should be under active biodiversity management by 31 March 2002, and for 2002 — 2003 that 60% should be under active biodiversity management by 31 March 2003.

In 2000, the Highways Agency published 'Strategic Roads 2010 — The Highways Agency 10 Year National Roads Strategy', a response to the Government's 10 Year Plan for Transport, in which it set targets to 'manage the core HA road network in line with Biodiversity Action Plans', and to manage the network 'in line with comprehensive Environment Management Plans'. Target dates for these activities are set in the 2001 — 2002 Business Plan of 2006 and 2011 respectively. This emphasises the commitment within the Agency to manage road verges for biodiversity across the entire network.

In addition, the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 places a duty on government departments to have regard to the purpose of conserving biodiversity.

Existing Guidance

Guidance for the management of motorway and trunk road verges is currently provided in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) and the Trunk Road Maintenance Manual (TRMM), both produced by the Highways Agency.

The main emphasis of the DMRB is on road improvement and maintenance, but it also provides guidance for environmental maintenance and enhancement procedures. These include sections on habitat creation, pollution control, and translocation, as well as descriptions of ecological management techniques for features such as grassland, scrub, woodland and hedgerows (DMRB, Volume 10). Advice Notes have been published as part of Volume 10 which provide specific guidance on the potential effects of roads on particular species, and give details of the measures that can be introduced to mitigate such impacts. To date, such advice has been produced for badgers, bats, otters, amphibians and dormice. Advice for other species is due to be published shortly.

The TRMM describes the routine landscape maintenance required for keeping the highway safe whilst also considering ecological implications of maintenance work. It also describes how existing management plans and ecological databases should be consulted before any maintenance work is carried out, and explains the relevance of biodiversity and nature conservation issues to routine maintenance. Guidance produced by other organisations such as English Nature, Environment Agency and RSPB may be used by HA staff but these vary in their applicability to road verges.

'half of the network should be under active biodiversity management by 31 March 2002'

Current HA initiatives

The Highways Agency has been working to minimise the negative effects of roads on biodiversity, not least through the nature conservation advice given in the DMRB. However, there are significant constraints on how biodiversity initiatives can be taken forward on the network. It would clearly be counter-productive, for example, to carry out management that would encourage certain BAP species onto road verges, if these species are likely to suffer high rates of mortality as a direct result of the close proximity of the carriageway. Similarly, motorway and trunk road drainage systems are designed to minimise the effects of polluted run-off on the local aquatic environment, and are therefore of limited nature conservation value.

Much of the basic improvement in road verge biodiversity will take place through the Agency's verge management systems. Managers will be encouraged to employ modified TRMM management techniques and also to work with partner organisations where practical to enhance species diversity.

Most of the biodiversity work currently being carried out by the Highways Agency is site-based conservation work, often aimed at encouraging the developmentof diverse and/or valuable habitats, and the continued existence of particular species.

Some of these projects are related to new road building or improvement schemes, while others are specific road verge conservation projects or research contracts. However, these projects tend to be relatively local in their scope.

A comprehensive computer-based Environmental Database is now in development, with the aim of standardising the collation and presentation of landscape and ecological information across the entire network.

Ecological surveys of the network for this database are due to be completed in autumn 2001. Allowing for the inclusion of biodiversity information on route plans should greatly improve the ability of the Agency to implement the HABAP, which will contribute to achieving UKBAP targets and compliance with UK and EU environmental legislation.

'The Highways Agency has been working to minimise the negative effects of road on biodiversity'

 The Environmental Database will also assist the strategic development of the network, and will provide reliable environmental data to deal with requests for information from interested parties, such as the DEFRA, environmental bodies and the general public.

Several research and development projects on the theme of biodiversity are currently programmed. These include:

• Introduction of herbaceous plants into woodland
• Review of wildlife fencing requirements
• and specifications
• Minimising fragmentation
• Low cost biodiversity measures
• Surveys of wildlife road casualties

Interaction of the HABAP with other HA plans

The HABAP will be central in the delivery of biodiversity objectives by the Agency (see flow chart, right).

The HABAP will also interact with other local and regional BAPs and the UKBAP. In particular, the HABAP will provide a focus for the actions ascribed to the Highways Agency in the UKBAP. This includes the requirement to 'attempt to limit the accidental killing or injury of otters by the provision of road underpasses' and other actions relating to the diving beetle Agabus brunneus, the Adonis blue butterfly, and ancient/species-rich hedgerows. Actions for two further species were attributed to the Highways Agency: Round-leaved Feather-moss; and the Sandy Stilt Puffball. The former has been found not to occur on the network, and the occurrence of the latter will be investigated with a view to inclusion as a SAP in the next review of the HABAP.

Many of the local BAPs reviewed ascribed actions to the Highways Agency; most related simply to the 'sensitive management of road verges'. This will be achieved by implementation of the 5 HAPs. Where a Local BAPhas requested more specific action by the Highways Agency for a particular habitat or species, this action is included, whenever possible, in the relevant HASAP or HAP.