Reframing Nature as a critical component of the GB Railway infrastructure

Natural England 's recent State of Natural Capital report highlights a concerning trend: biodiversity continues to decline, even as we increasingly define an economic value for nature. But what does this mean for us in the railway sector? What can nature do for the railway? When is too little nature going to become a problem for the railway and its societal role?

State of Natural Capital 2024 reinforces and provides an opportunity to amplify a message I've long been trying to push up a steep gradient: we must rethink our relationship with the natural world and challenge the assumptions that have shaped our interactions with it. For too long, we have viewed nature as something separate from ourselves, an externality to be exploited or ignored. This anthropocentric perspective has led to substantial environmental degradation and biodiversity loss in England, threatening the very systems that support our societies and economies.

The key messages of the report are essentially the urgent need to invest in natural capital to reduce risks, and reap the rewards of a healthy natural environment, and a call for a shift in perspective, where nature is seen as a valuable asset that needs to be protected and restored to ensure a sustainable future.

I’ve spent a long time now setting out the case that future performance of the railway is inextricably linked to the health of our natural environment. Not only is network performance influenced by the functioning of its own ecological asset base, such as lineside habitats and natural drainage systems, but railway reliability also relies on the wider condition of Great Britain's natural infrastructure. Healthy ecosystems provide a multitude of benefits, from mitigating flood risks and stabilising slopes to enhancing air quality and supporting biodiversity. These benefits are not merely 'nice-to-haves'; they are important for the efficient, resilient, and sustainable operation of the railway.

The Department for Transport has recognised the importance of nature and has mandated the railway manager to prevent net biodiversity loss on existing lineside estates and reverse this to achieve biodiversity net gain by 2040. This is a commendable goal that aligns with the recognition of nature's importance. However, achieving this long-term vision requires a fundamental shift in how we perceive and manage nature within the railway context.

The functional role of railway green and blues asset base remains under-recognised (in the sense that the function of a steel rail is to bear the load of a train and guide its direction) but as I have argued elsewhere at length, we can integrate natural infrastructure into traditional asset management frameworks, ensuring that they are properly maintained, renewed and enhanced. A shift in perspective is required, however, from viewing nature as an externality to recognition as a critical component of our physical infrastructure.

And a key challenge is balancing the need for ‘biodiversity net gain’ with the potential for this concept to lead to trade-offs. Careful planning and a nuanced understanding of the ecological function and value of different habitats is required to ensure that biodiversity gains truly contribute to more resilient and functional systems, be they natural or artificial.

To effectively manage nature within the railway context, we need to adopt an asset management framework that recognises the functional role of ecological assets. This involves:

1. Identifying and classifying ecological assets - mapping and categorising different habitat types, such as woodlands, grasslands, and wetlands, along with their associated biodiversity and ecosystem services.
2. Assessing the condition of natural assets - risk-based inspection of the condition and functionality of natural assets is crucial, and involves monitoring key indicators, such as species diversity, habitat quality, and the provision of function like water regulation and carbon sequestration.
3. Developing maintenance and enhancement plans - based on condition assessment, development of targeted plans for maintaining and enhancing the functionality of the ecological asset base. This can include measures to sustain or improve the condition of degraded assets, but also actions such as control invasive species and increasing species diversity.
4. Integrating natural assets into wider asset management systems - incorporate data on ecological assets into the railway's broader asset management system. Integration enables a holistic view of infrastructure and facilitates informed decision-making that considers both built and natural assets.

When is too little nature going to become a problem for the railway and its societal role?

The consequences of neglecting nature are already evident. Increased flooding, landslides, and damage to infrastructure are impacting train operations and an increasing source of delays. Beyond the direct costs, a decline in biodiversity can disrupt the functioning of ecological assets, affecting air and water quality, pollination, and climate regulation, all of which have broader societal implications.

As the State of Natural Capital report highlights, risks to various sectors, including for railway and transportation, are increasing due to the degradation of ecosystem services. For the railway, this ultimately manifests in increased disruptions and delays. Failing to manage lineside habitat and neglecting natural drainage systems can lead to increased costs for maintaining and repairing railway infrastructure. Environmental incidents, such as pollution spills or damage to sensitive habitats, can defer planned works, damage the reputation of the railway and erode public trust.

The railway mandate and future funding for ecological asset management

Achieving the long-term vision mandated by the DfT requires a fundamental shift in how we manage nature within the railway context, necessitating careful, evidence-based, planning and a nuanced understanding of the functioning and value of different ecological assets.

Critically, integrating nature into railway infrastructure will require a step-change in investment. While the government has tasked the railway manager with using hard pressed upon existing funds for immediate actions, achieving the long-term goal of biodiversity net gain necessitates dedicated funding and lines in departmental budgets. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity. As the mandate from the government states, the railway manager ‘will be expected to bid for appropriate funding to enable it to achieve its long-term goals through future periodic reviews’. Such a funding structure requires strategic planning, a robust asset management framework, and effective collaboration to ensure that the required integration effort receives the necessary financial support to achieve both short-term and long-term objectives.

Key takeaways for decision-makers?

• Move beyond piecemeal initiatives and develop a comprehensive strategy that explicitly recognises nature as critical infrastructure. This strategy should be underpinned by a long-term funding mechanism to ensure the ongoing maintenance and enhancement of ecological assets.
• Integrate ecological principles within physical asset management to ensure that natural asset considerations are embedded in all stages of the infrastructure life-cycle. This could involve systems thinking and development of a dedicated ecological/land management function.
• Enable innovation and collaboration on approaches to managing ecological assets, such as using remote sensing technology to monitor condition and deploying nature-based solutions to address infrastructure challenges. Organised knowledge share with research institutions, environmental organisations, and other stakeholders to leverage expertise and promulgate best practices.
• Develop robust methodologies for quantifying the economic and social value of ecological assets and functions within the railway context. Communicate these findings effectively to stakeholders and customers to build support for investment in natural solutions.
• The railway sector has a unique opportunity to demonstrate leadership in integrating nature into infrastructure management. By showcasing successful projects and sharing lessons learned, we can inspire others to adopt similar approaches and contribute to a broader shift towards a more sustainable and resilient future.

The State of Natural Capital Report 2024 reiterates the need for urgent action. And serves as a reminder that the railway's future is intertwined with the health of our natural environment. The 'what' has been articulated. The critical next step is to translate this understanding into a sustained programme of action, underpinned by a resourcing commitment.

Views in this article represent the author’s personal opinions only.