During the first reporting period, the project established a robust scientific and methodological foundation for integrating biodiversity, climate resilience, and environmental sustainability into railway infrastructure systems.
A major achievement has been the development of an initial integrated analytical framework that combines biodiversity, ecological connectivity, climate risk, and carbon considerations. This includes a structured review and consolidation of existing impact assessment methodologies, biodiversity management tools, and CO2 accounting approaches, resulting in a clear set of technical requirements for future tool development. Building on this, a preliminary mapping framework has been created to assess climate vulnerability and biodiversity opportunities along railway networks, incorporating habitat connectivity indicators and spatial analysis techniques.
Significant progress has also been made in biodiversity data standardisation and monitoring. A comprehensive Europe-wide assessment of current practices across railway operators was completed, identifying key gaps, inconsistencies, and opportunities for harmonisation. This work provides the first structured baseline for biodiversity monitoring in the railway sector. In parallel, innovative data collection approaches have been initiated, including the use of Earth observation, high-resolution imagery, LiDAR, and automated sensors, with the objective of enabling scalable and standardised biodiversity data acquisition. Initial steps have also been taken towards integrating biodiversity data into infrastructure asset management systems.
The project has further advanced the understanding of policy, regulatory, and societal dimensions influencing biodiversity integration in transport systems. Through extensive literature analysis, stakeholder mapping, and consultation processes, key barriers and enablers related to governance, environmental assessment frameworks, and decision-making processes have been identified. A structured methodological framework and database have been developed to analyse alignment between climate, biodiversity, and transport policies. Additional analytical work has explored the integration of biodiversity considerations into corporate strategies, procurement processes, and supply chains.
