Background l Project l Further information & stories l Biodiversity Audit l Ulster Wildlife Trust l Contact Details
Biodiversity ‘Biodiversity is short for biological diversity – the term used to encompass the variety of life on Earth’.
Biodiversity is the whole variety of all living things on earth, from habitats where our plants and animals live, to individual plants, animals and fungi. It includes not only rare and threatened species but also the common. Biodiversity can be found almost everywhere, from ancient oak woodland to coastal sand dunes and our rich marine environment.
Background
Translink, in partnership with the Ulster Wildlife Trust, have taken a positive and proactive approach to complying with statutory duties and obligations by funding a Biodiversity Project. The extent of Translink’s business, operating a bus and rail service across Northern Ireland incorporating a range of properties, structures and land, has warranted the creation of a post focusing on biodiversity. The extent as well as type of property that the company manages is impressive – over 200 miles of railway corridor alone.
Biodiversity is short for biological diversity – it is the total variety of all living things on earth: people, plants and animals and the places or habitats where they live. Biodiversity received international recognition with the signing of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1992 by 150 world governments at the Rio Earth Summit, paving the way for individual countries targets and action plans.
Project
The project will be run over 3 years from late June 2007. The project officer will undertake an audit of Translink’s properties and landholdings and from this will deliver a Biodiversity Action Plan. Issues identified by this process will be addressed. These could include the development of appropriate conservation advisory notes, educational and training events for staff and contractors and promotion of biodiversity through various mediums.
Much of the rail network runs adjacent to areas that are important for conservation such as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) like the Bann Estuary and also other designated sites such as Nature Reserves eg Brakagh Bog south of Portadown. Sites that have European and domestic designations have been recognised for their biodiversity value however, whether sites are designated or not, they will likely have a level of protection under domestic legislation such as that which protects hedgerows during bird nesting season.
It is important that Translink recognises its responsibilities and duties in relation to internationally- and nationally-important habitats and species. The organisation is also a large land owner and through training and education initiatives, it is expected that staff will be better equipped to recognise the opportunities and actions that they can incorporate into their work plans and projects to the benefit of wildlife.
Further information & stories
'Discover Biodiversity by Bus and Train' leaflet >>
Station Posters Developed by the Project >>
'Swift Action' >>
Millford Cutting Nature Reserve >>
‘Do one more thing’ for wildlife >>
Adopting a Beach >>
Local School puts biodiversity garden 'on track' >>
Hedging our Bets >>
Translink joins forces with Wildlife Trust to help local Biodiversity >>
'Discover Biodiversity by Bus and Train’ leaflet
A leaflet to celebrate the rich and diverse landscape of Northern Ireland and the contribution that public transport can make to get people out to discover it has been developed.
The leaflet highlights eight locations across Northern Ireland chosen for their diversity, accessibility and representation of our wonderful natural heritage. The leaflet encourages sustainable transport by bus, train, bike or foot. It is also hoped that the more people that discover biodiversity, the more willing we will all be to protect it. Click here to download the leaflet.
Download a copy of the leaflet here >> (Adobe PDF Document 1,974kb)
Station Posters Developed by the Project
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| Autumn-Winter 2007-2008 | Spring-Summer 2008 |
Autumn-Winter 2008-2009
Spring - Summer 2009
One of the benefits of Translink supporting a Biodiversity Project is that there is a biodiversity officer in post which staff, members of the public or a local community group can contact if they have an idea for a project or a query regarding wildlife and conservation on Translink’s property.
One such enquiry was made in early 2008 when a local resident contacted us to explore the idea of Translink participating in a swift nest box scheme for his area. Swifts migrate from central and southern Africa each spring to these shores to breed, gravitating to the eaves and roofspaces of older buildings or modern buildings that can accommodate them. A bus depot in his area, it seems, offers prime summer residences for these overseas visitors – the location being the outside wall of the depot where nest boxes could be erected.
Millford Cutting Nature Reserve
This small, secluded nature reserve managed by the Ulster Wildlife Trust is a former railway line, outside of Armagh City.
Millford Cutting Nature Reserve
The cutting includes a variety of habitats including a mix of flowery calcareous grasslands and scrubby woodland.
Find out more about the reserve >>
‘Do one more thing’ for wildlife
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There are lots of ways each and every one of us can make a difference to our local natural environment without taking on the world. It’s all about making time and space in our busy lives. |
Adopting-a-Beach (April 2009)
The Biodiversity Officer facilitated beach clean-ups at Whitehead and Carrickfergus with local schoolchildren and residents on two consecutive days in early April. The events were organised to highlight the issue of litter and particuarly its impact on the marine environment.
In addition to removing litter from the beach, the volunteers catalogued the type and quantity of litter they collected. This data has been sent to the Marine Conservation Society who analyse the data and use it to lobby for better marine conservation.
Local School puts biodiversity garden 'on track' (February 2009)
Translink has joined forces with a South Belfast primary school to assist in the creation of a special ‘Biodiversity Garden’ on school grounds.
Scoil an Droichid, situated in the grounds of An Droichead – the Irish language culture and education centre - shares a boundary fence with NI Railways which has recently been upgraded by Translink and will form part of the new secure Biodiversity Garden border. The garden will support a wide range of native wildlife and plant species as well as enhance pupils’ learning experience and interest in subjects such as Science (February 2009).
Hedging our Bets (January 2009)
As part of Route 93 on the National Cycle Network, the Newtownabbey Way provides an important transport corridor for walkers and cyclists, but another user-group, wildlife, are keen on it as well!
Thanks to an initiative between Translink, Newtownabbey Borough Council and Sustrans, the Youth Club members from Whiteabbey Community Centre, with their leader Margaret King, had an opportunity to get involved in enhancing the Way for wildlife. The group helped to establish a native, fruiting hedgerow on a section of the Way at the Bleach Green Viaducts on a beautiful winter’s morning last Saturday, 24th January. (January 2009)
Translink joins forces with Wildlife Trust to help local Biodiversity (November 2008)
Translink employees recently showed their ‘green fingers’ when they took part in a corporate volunteer day to support biodiversity in the Coleraine area.
Translink volunteers take part in a corporate
volunteer day at the Umbra Nature Reserve
near Coleraine.
The team of twelve Translink staff joined forces with the Ulster Wildlife Trust for the environmental event and assisted with a range of conservation activities at the Umbra Nature Reserve, a local and internationally-important sand-dune system near Coleraine that is managed by the local nature conservation charity.
For further information on corporate volunteering click www.ulsterwildlifetrust.org or call 028 4483 0282. (November 2008)
Biodiversity Audit
Translink’s operations are spread across Northern Ireland, in the form of a railway and bus network with their associated track, buildings, structures, grounds etc. An audit of the biodiversity interest on Translink property has been delivered as part of Year 1 of the project.
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Occurring in and around the organisation’s network, particularly, rail, there is a good variety of priority and locally-important habitats with their associated species. Using a variety of information sources coupled with ground-truthing, we have gained a broad understanding of what features and species occur across the network.
Eight Northern Ireland priority habitats have been identified along with locally-important habitats. These include ancient and/or species-rich hedgerows, wet woodland, veteran trees, maritime cliffs and slopes and rivers and streams. We have conservatively identified twenty-two Northern Ireland priority and locally-important species.
This audit document will assist in the development of a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP), where habitats and species will be selected for action. Projects will be initiated to assist the conservation and enhancement of these, focusing primarily on habitats but also on species-specific requirements.
The Ulster Wildlife Trust
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The UWT is a local nature conservation charity, working across Without a biodiverse environment, we are all under threat – people and wildlife. We believe in taking local nature conservation action to secure the survival of life, acting locally, thinking globally.
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The Biodiversity Project is a partnership between Translink and the Ulster Wildlife Trust. For further information or to get involved, please contact Rose Cremin, Translink Biodiversity Officer at email rose.cremin@translink.co.uk or mobile 077-38886175. |
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