How do you create a biodiverse verge? How do you preserve it? And what are the benefits of natural verge management? A team of researchers from Naturalis investigated precisely these questions on behalf of clients ProRail and HOCHTIEF PPP Solutions.
Impactof verge management
On behalf of ProRail and HOCHTIEF PPP Solutions (hereinafter HOCHTIEF), Naturalis has developed two knowledge products. Together, they provide an insight into the impact of verge management and how it can improve biodiversity in roadside verges. The recommendations developed by Naturalis were made public today, so that anyone working in green area management can use them in their practice.
Step-by-stepapproach
Railway network manager ProRail is responsible in the Netherlands for more than 3500 kilometres of trackside verges and embankments. Infrastructure company HOCHTIEF, amongst its many activities, constructs, operates and maintains motorways, trunk roads and their verges.
For both companies, a research team from Naturalis devised a step-by-step approach aimed at effectively creating and managing rich biodiverse verges. The team also developed an understanding of the resultant ecosystem services. All that knowledge has been consolidated in two products: an assessment model and a scorecard that provide greater control for natural verge management.
Taking biodiversity to the next level
How do you take biodiversity in a roadside verge to the next level? The assessment model and poster answer exactly that question. The products were developed by Naturalis researcher Lotte Vroomans. The assessment model assists in identifying the type of verge and its current status. As Vroomans explained, "The model then helps you to identify the verge management operations that are most effective in raising the biodiversity of the verge to a higher level." The model is ideal for anyone employed in green area management and policy, and can be applied to any type of verge.
Investingin nature
The Naturalis research team also developed a scorecard. The card identifies which measures contribute to verge biodiversity and which do not. Whether an action is meaningful is reflected in the corresponding biodiversity score and the resultant ecosystem services. "Ecosystem services are products or services that nature supplies to people," explained Vroomans. "For example, food and wood, pest control or soil fertility." The scorecard shows the significant returns that investing in nature can generate.
Biodiversity desperately needed
The Netherlands has more than fifty thousand hectares of road and trackside verge. If they are well cared for by their managers, they can make a much-needed contribution to the biodiversity of the Netherlands. And that is necessary for all of life on Earth. Biodiversity is the source of food, drinking water, coastal protection, crop pollination and so much more. Against that background, the companies ProRail and HOCHTIEF are keen to increase the biodiversity of their verges.
Naturalis hopes that more companies and organisations will follow the example set by ProRail and HOCHTIEF with their biodiversity ambitions. The knowledge products developed in this project have therefore been made publicly available so that anyone involved in green area management can put the principles of natural verge management into practice.
AboutKnowledge Naturally!
These knowledge products are part of the Knowledge Naturally! programme at Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Within this programme, Naturalis works alongside ASN Bank and a.s.r. verzekeringen. Together, all these parties aim to make a real contribution to a more sustainable society. The programme is focused on making our home, work and living environment more healthy, more nature-inclusive and more climate-proof. Anyone looking for answers to their biodiversity issues is welcome to call in the assistance of Knowledge Naturally! ASN Bank has set aside 2% of the revenue from its insurance premiums to help fund the necessary research.
AboutProRail
ProRail is a railway network manager. As such, the company is responsible for the maintenance, renewal, expansion and safety of the Dutch railway network. From its independent position, ProRail allocates space on 7,000 kilometres of track, regulates train traffic and builds and manages stations. ProRail performs its task as railway network manager with attention for society and an eye to the future.
AboutHOCHTIEF PPP Solutions
HOCHTIEF PPP Solutions develops, implements, operates and maintains infrastructure projects and delivers optimum solutions throughout their lifecycle. Biodiversity and water protection are key facets of their strategy. Their goal is to ensure that the possible impact of their projects on the natural environment remains as positive as possible. Infrastructure company HOCHTIEF PPP Solutions, in cooperation with the SAAone project (A1/A6), was the commissioning party for the knowledge question: ‘What ecosystem services can natural verge management generate?'. More information is available at www.hochtief-pppsolutions.com
Noteto editors
- This is a joint press release from ProRail, HOCHTIEF PPP Solutions GmbH, ASN Bank, a.s.r. verzekeringen and Naturalis Biodiversity Center
- View the assessment template and accompanying poster here
- View the scorecard and accompanying poster here
- For substantive questions, contact Lotte Vroomans at Naturalis via lotte.vroomans@naturalis.nl or +31621363735
- For general questions, contact Amy van Nobelen at Naturalis, via +31623475744 or amy.vannobelen@naturalis.nl
- For more information about Knowledge Naturally! and the finished products, visit www.naturalis.nl/kennisnatuurlijk