Feature
M62 - Your Local History
A lot of finds were uncovered during the archaeological evaluation carried out for the M62 Junction 6 Improvement scheme so we thought it would be nice to provide an interactive website so you can see what we found.
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Nature Conservation
Ecology, Nature Conservation and Biodiversity
What are ecology, nature conservation and biodiversity?
Ecology is the science that examines inter-relationships between animals, plants and their habitats. Nature conservation is the approach that seeks to manage human use of these elements of the natural environment. Biodiversity is a concept used to refer to the wide variety of animals, plants and habitats. It does not focus on just the rare or threatened species or habitats, but can be used by ecologists as a simple measure of nature conservation activities.
Why are ecology, nature conservation and biodiversity important to the Highways Agency?
The Highways Agency owns around 30,000ha of land referred to as the 'soft estate', which includes the area between highway fences which is not occupied by the carriageway. This is made up of a range of habitat types, including sites of national importance, designated for their wildlife and natural features. The Agency's activities, including road construction projects and maintenance schemes, have the potential to impact on protected sites, habitats and species.
While the Agency has had a long-term strategy for the conservation of habitats and species, this has more recently been reinforced by legislation and Government targets. The Agency now has specific duties to conserve biodiversity, and to further the conservation and enhancement of sites of national importance.
What does the Highways Agency do about ecology, nature conservation and biodiversity?
In 2002 the Agency published its own Biodiversity Action Plan. This sets specific actions and targets to enhance the value of the Agency's estate and to maximise the Agency's contribution to biodiversity.
The Agency has also published its own guidance on nature conservation and biodiversity issues, this is included with the Design Manual for Roads & Bridges. This guidance is maintained and supplemented through continued research on aspects of environmental best practice associated with its activities.
Memorandum of Understanding with Natural England
The Highways Agency develops strategic partnerships with other organisations to help improve co-operation, to share information and strategy, and to support each other's objectives. In line with this approach we have established a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Natural England to support effective working between the two organisations.
