The Network Rail Biodiversity Calculator has been archived. If you require access to the calculator and associated guidance, please contact SustainableDevelopment@networkrail.co.uk
From 2017 Network Rail operated its own Biodiversity Calculator using a metric created by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to account for biodiversity losses and gains resulting from development works. Defra continued to develop their metric and in July 2019 published the biodiversity metric 2.0. In December 2019 the decision was made that Network Rail should not continue investing resources to maintain a bespoke railway calculator. This was published as Environmental Bulletin NREB 19-01.
Works on the Network Rail infrastructure that meet the requirements of NR/L2/ENV/015 Environment and Social Minimum Requirements – Design and Construction or that meet the requirements set out within NR/L2/ENV/122 Biodiversity should use the biodiversity metric 3.1. Existing projects should continue to use the metric version adopted at the start of the project,
This link provides access to the metric and all associated tools and guidance.
Any changes to future metrics will be updated here.
Using a metric gives a way to measure biodiversity and the impact that land management practices may have upon it. The metric and the values it provides can help engineers, ecologists, communities, land managers and many others take biodiversity into account. The metric provides a way to measure biodiversity loss and gain in a consistent and robust way. It can also predict the likely effectiveness of creating new or enhancing existing habitats. Used in combination with appropriate professional advice the metric can help to reduce biodiversity losses and increase gains resulting from sustainable land management.
