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Biodiversity

Biodiversity is currently being lost at a rate faster than has ever been recorded before, resulting in a global decline in nature and its vital contributions to people. This decline in nature is a direct result of habitat loss, climate change, pollution, the spread of invasive and non-native species (INNS) and the overexploitation of nature and its resources.

Research published in the 2023 Scotland – State of Nature report highlights that Scotland’s wildlife has declined by an average of 15% since 1994, with one in nine species facing extinction.

Our railway is vital for biodiversity as it is home to a diverse range of habitats and wildlife. The railway acts as a green corridor connecting often fragmented habitats, which facilitates the movement of species, and provides shelter and resources like food and nesting sites.

We are committed to supporting biodiversity conservation through the protection and enhancement of the habitat and wildlife that exist on our lineside, while also creating new habitats to maximise the biodiversity potential of our railway estate.

Our efforts also focus on increasing knowledge and awareness around biodiversity, better-supporting biodiversity decision-making by providing the necessary tools and information to do so and ultimately making the management of biodiversity a ‘business as usual’ activity across Scotland’s Railway.

Over the next five years, our objective is to increase biodiversity by 4% from the 2020 baseline. To achieve this, we are working towards delivering five key outcomes in this space:

  1. Data providing a detailed bottom-up view of biodiversity across Scotland's Railway supports our decision-making
  2. The volume of Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) plants in prioritised areas is actively being reduced
  3. Biodiversity is improved through the creation of new, and the enhancement of existing habitat
  4. We will create a culture that is competent in making biodiversity-related decisions
  5. The protection and enhancement of biodiversity is considered a "Business as Usual" activity


To find out more about our approach to biodiversity and to see our delivery plan for this priority you can download our Climate Action Plan.