Projects / Resources

‘Biodiversity is short for biological diversity – the term used to encompass the variety of life on Earth’.

2011-2020: United Nations Decade on Biodiversity

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.
 

Biodiversity Action Plan 2009 - 2014

The aim of the Translink Biodiversity Action Plan is to guide the conservation of the natural heritage found in and around Translink’s property, within the context of operational and safety requirements.

Download pdf of Biodiversity Action Plan 2009 - 2014 here

To achieve this, priority habitats and species have been highlighted and local actions agreed.  This action plan gives you an idea of the rich natural heritage that exists throughout the translink network, highlighting the ever-increasing need to protect this valuable resoucre.

PROJECTS

Biodiversity Champion

Picture: Business in the Community NI chief executive John Heaslip announces Catherine Mason, Translink Group Chief Executive, as its new Biodiversity Champion.

Catherine Mason has been appointed as Business in the Community’s Biodiversity Champion.

This role involves championing the importance of biodiversity to the Northern Ireland economy, raising the profile of biodiversity among businesses, as well as promoting and encouraging best practice in protecting and enhancing biodiversity.

Working in partnership to tackle litter (January 2012)

Translink’s Biodiversity Officer, in partnership with Business in the Community, TIDY NI, Legal Island and Antrim Borough Council’s Biodiversity Officer ran a biodiversity and litter awareness education event. 

The event was organised to highlight the issue of litter and particularly its impact on their local environment.  Around 200 pupils attended the biodiversity action day from both Antrim Grammar and Parkhall Integrated, to take home the message of the ‘real’ cost of litter.

Translink adopts ‘animal instincts’ for Bangor line (December 2011)

Translink has opted for sheer horse power instead of heavy machinery to carry out essential vegetation clearance work along a section of the Bangor railway line.  The use of a large ‘Suffolk Punch’ workhorse named Imogen has meant that there is minimal damage and disturbance to the local habitat and wildlife in the area.

In line with Translink’s Biodiversity Action Plan, there are also plans to replant trees in the local area which will be both non-shedding and feature deep rooted systems, so that they will not interfere with rail operations in the future.

Keeping Fane Street’s eco garden on track (November 2011)

In partnership with Grahams, Translink visited Fane Street Primary School (situated adjacent to Translink’s railway track) to give a talk on the importance of biodiversity and reducing their waste through recycling. 

Thanks to an initiative between Translink and Grahams, two planter boxes and a workbench were made from recycled wood from Translink’s Adelaide site and donated to the school.  These new planter boxes will be a great addition to Fane Streets eco garden.  They 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 and Geography.

Seeing is Believing - Biodiversity Event

In partnership with Grahams, Translink’s Biodiversity Officer attended a ‘Seeing is Believing’ biodiversity event organised by Business in the Community.  Translink presented a presentation which promoted and outlined the success of Translink’s Biodiversity Project so far to other aspiring businesses.  The main aim of this event was to share best practice and educate organisations on the need to take action for biodiversity and the many benefits it can have.

Pictured (L-R) Nuala Griffiths from Grahams, an RSPB Representative, and Breanainn Mullan, Translink’s new Biodiversity Officer, at the ‘Seeing is Believing’ biodiversity event.

RESOURCES  

'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 able to protect it. Click here to download the leaflet.

Download a copy of the leaflet here >> (Adobe PDF Document 1,974kb)

Station Poster

Biodiversity Information Sheets

A series of guidance notes relating to best practice for biodiversity has been developed. View Biodiversity Information Sheets>> 

Spot Local Birds on your train journey

Posters were produced for on-board trains and for display in stations to highlight the wide variety of birds that can be spotted from our services.  We hope passengers will enjoy getting out and about and doing some bird-watching as they travel.

The following pdf document highlights the type of birds that you could spot on your train journey. These fall into the following categories:

• Wetland Birds
• Coastal Birds
• Urban Birds
• Farmland Birds
  
  

Download the full pdf here >> (Adobe PDF Document 6,793kb)
 

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.

You can download a copy here >> 

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.