National Highways will make use of artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite mapping to track changes to habitats and biodiversity alongside England’s roads.
The government-owned roads company says in the past 15 years routine inspections of what it calls the ‘soft estate’ have only provided ‘basic information’. The aim is to gather more data, in order to prioritise the maintenance of roadside greenery more effectively.
National Highways is one of the UK’s largest landowners and is responsible for operating and maintaining 4,300 miles of motorways and major A-roads in England. It also owns structures and track beds of railway lines that were closed in the 1960s under Dr Beeching’s Axe.
Aiming to be ‘nature-positive’
In 2020, National Highways pledged to halt the decline of biodiversity – and to achieve a state of no net loss across its land by 2025. By 2030, the company aims to be ‘nature-positive’, delivering at least a 10 percent gain in biodiversity on major projects.
National Highways says it is building environmental improvements into current and future works. These include:
- Transforming the site of a former open cast mine next to a major motorway upgrade for the M6 near Wigan into new wetlands and areas of woodland
- Creating a linear pollinator network along the M65 and M56 motorways near Manchester
- Launching a four-year project to introduce Highland cows to the Nene Valley near Wellingborough
- Creating wetlands to help clean river water near the M5 in Birmingham
- Signing a 15-year agreement to help species-rich grasslands on the Greena Moor Nature Reserve in Cornwall thrive
- Helping bat populations to increase on historic railway structures across the UK
Making roads greener
“This is a glowing example of how new technologies such as AI can help to improve biodiversity at scale,” said Ben Hewlett, senior environmental adviser at National Highways.
“This is an important building block of the work we’re undertaking to protect and enhance the ecology and the environment across the country. For wildlife, roads can fragment important habitats, putting pressure on plant and animal populations.”
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