Sustainable land use

Biodiversity working group

This working group is helping UIC members to understand how they might improve the way they manage their land and build new railways that will also help halt the global loss of biodiversity. The objectives of the working group are to:

• Enhance the biodiversity conservation on railway property by sharing experiences and knowledge,
• Identify and outline knowledge gaps and make recommendations for railway management as well as for practice-oriented scientific research,
• Describe and promote measures that constitute a railway contribution to the United Nation (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
• Provide a general understanding of the issues to meet global challenges

Rail Event - Railways connecting wildlife as well as people and goods: A focus on biodiversity

Vegetation management working group

The aims of the working group are to provide a platform where members exchange information on how to effectively manage the vegetation on and alongside the tracks. The group works together to find innovative techniques to manage lineside vegetation for the safe operation of the railway as well as reduce any negative impacts on the environment. The overall goal is to achieve a safe and sustainable vegetation management approach.

Soil and water quality working group

The soil and water quality working group aims to determine the state of the art with regard to soil and water pollution on railways and remediation of such pollution. The contaminated soil with heavy metals, pesticides and other organic pollutants can cause a significant harm to people, protected species or pollution to surface and groundwater. The soil and water quality working group within the SLU Sector aims to exchange information in how to effectively manage pollution prevention on land and what action the sector needs to take to harmonise the soil and water management for railways.

Sustainable Land Use Projects

For further information and deliverables about Sustainable Land Use ongoing projects, please visit:

• ECOV4R Project (Ecosystem Valuation for Railways)
• BISON Project (Biodiversity and infrastructure synergies and opportunities for European transport networks ) - 2021-2023 – EU funded
• rEvERsE Project (Ecological Effects of Railways on wildlifE)

For further information and deliverables about some completed projects, please visit:

• TRISTRAM Project (TransItion STRategy on vegetAtion Management)
• Herbie Project (Vegetation Control and Use of Herbicides) - 2017-2018

Sustainable Land Use Publications

rEvERsE project

• European Railways: Strategy and Actions for Biodiversity
• UIC Guidelines on Managing Railway Assets for Biodiversity

TRISTRAM project

• TRISTRAM final report: Future Vegetation Control of European Railways
• UIC Strategy on the future of vegetation control

Herbie project

• Herbie - State of the Art Report of Weed Control and Management for Railways (Part A-B-C) (including Guidelines and Integrated Assessment)
• Herbie - UIC Guideline for Integrated Vegetation Management - (Part A)
• IRS 70723: Technical aspects of vegetation control and tree risk management – Guidance and recommendations (2015-2020). IRS 70723 is an update of UIC Leaflet 723 and is the result of collaboration between the Track Expert Group within the UIC Rail System department and the SLU Network within the UIC Sustainable Development unit.

Chemical weed control (2013 –2014)
UIC commissioned research in 2003 on the reduction of herbicides in the railways (see link below) and initiated a further project in 2011 to update this information.
https://uic.org/IMG/pdf/uic_alternative_vegetation_control_022303-uic-project-2003.pdf

Contaminated soil assessment scheme (2008-2010)
UIC’s polluted soil remediation experts have completed a project on establishment of a contaminated soil assessment scheme. The objectives of the project were to provide:

• recommendations for improvement of environmental data handling,
• recommendations for implementation of a data system,
• recommendations for management of risk with regard to polluted soil.

The project report, based on a survey of European UIC members on soil pollution and remediation, is available at:

• https://uic.org/IMG/pdf/contaminated_soil_assessment_scheme.pdf
• https://uic.org/IMG/pdf/20090116_final_report.pdf

Workshops

• BISON Wilding Railways - UIC Sustainability Action Week 2023
  Webinar replay: Youtube playlist
• Second International Workshop on Vegetation Management: What Future for Herbicide? (May 2016)
• UIC International Workshop Vegetation Management (October 2013)
• Polluted soil seminar: Managing the financial and environmental risk of soil contamination of railway properties (October 2010)

Partnerships

Memorandum of understanding with WWF-CEE

UIC signed a memorandum of understanding with WWF Central-Eastern Europe. The main purpose of this MoU is to promote environmentally conscious rail transport in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe by enhancing international cooperation between the Parties. Under the mission statement of UIC Sustainable Land Use Sector within the Sustainability unit, the Parties will establish mutual dialogue in domains of common interest and an option for information exchange in the following fields:

• UIC
  • Biodiversity
  • Vegetation management
  • Soil quality
  • Water Quality

• WWF-CEE
  • Ecological connectivity & corridors
  • Large carnivores
  • Landscapes including forest and wetlands

Mr Davenne’s and Mr Beckmann’s speeches are available at the following links:

• Mr Beckmann: https://bit.ly/3o09URy
• Mr Davenne: https://uic.org/events/IMG/pdf/mou_fdavenne_speech_uic.pdf
• Working together for wildlife and railway corridors with WWF-CEE https://uic.org/com/enews/article/working-together-for-wildlife-and-railway-corridors-with-wwf-cee

For further information, please see the video of the event on the UIC YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGv__w8Qzm8.