A Little Home Grown Action

The next reporting round to shed light on the UK’s progress in terms of meeting national bio-diversity action plan (BAP) targets launches on 1 September. Here, Chris Dobbs, director of estates and geology at Tarmac, argues that aiding the country in meeting these targets should be a top priority for all quarry firms, both as a matter of business investment and environmental responsibility.

While the quarrying industry has for long beenat the fore front of habitat creation, today there is a much stronger focus on ecological issues than ever before. And this is accompanied by a wider acknowledgement that proactive biodiversity management can often help to secure a company’s ‘licence to operate’ from society and hence deliver business benefits.

This recognition has pushed the topic up the corporate agenda. And it is pleasing to see how widely the case for biodiversity is now being embraced by the UK quarrying sector.

Our industry manages a substantial proportion of land with important habitats and species, and there is a growing understanding of the need to incorporate biodiversity into the strategic planning of each site.

The development of Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs) for a quarry focuses on identifying the ecology and ecological potential of the site in a local, regional and sometimes national context.

They assess what steps can be taken to manage biodiversity effectively and sensitively, so that, wherever possible, the biodiversity potential is maximised.

At Tarmac we employ independent ecologists to establish BAP frameworks for individual quarries and advise on a site-specific range of measures to monitor, manage and enhance biodiversity over the lifecycle of the quarry and beyond.

Many important habitats, including areas having the national designation of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) are now within quarries. Our Lound Quarry in Nottinghamshire, for example, is where in excess of 300 hectares of former workings are designated for their value to birds.

Our approach to BAPs very often is to tie them in with the BAPs that are in place at a regional level. This may be within a national park, for example, and often within wider, national plans. We have had such BAPs in place at Ballidon – in the Peak District National Park – and Mancetter quarries for more than five years.

In early 2007, we also successfully delivered a countywide BAP for seven quarries in Northumberland– Barrasford, Belford, Broadoak, Howick, Harden, Lanton and Woodbridge (see main picture above).

This work, which surveyed over 350 hectares of land, has helped Tarmac to put in place robust measures to protect species such as the red squirrel, linnet and skylark, as well as enhancing important habitats such as whin grassland and wet woodland.

This work has led to Tarmac being the first UK quarrying company to have a BAP in place at all of its 120 active quarries in the UK. It has created individual plans for each site as part of a commitment to ensure that biodiversity is embedded into the strategic
planning of each site.

We have embraced BAPs and we feel it is important that the quarrying industry in general, and the wider business community, see the full potential of BAPs.

More so than ever, all businesses have a strong environmental and social obligation to biodiversity, but if companies need any more reason to consider BAP schemes, they should look at the many potential benefits that they can deliver. Getting biodiversity right can often involve developing stronger links with local communities, interest groups and local authorities.

In Tarmac’s experience, as well as helping us to protect wildlife and habitats, the BAP process for each quarry has helped us to support existing engagement activities, building greater trust, understanding and confidence in our operations with local and regional stakeholders.

For us, BAPs are not corporate greenwash. Biodiversity is now something that is central to our operations and we have taken proactive steps to ensure that we are at the forefront of our industry in this area.

As land managers, we have a strong responsibility to the habitats where we operate and mitigate the impact we have through our operations. Our employees understand the importance of BAPs and that this is not a token environmental gesture but a commitment.

Woodbridge operational conservation pond

Last year,Tarmac delivered a county-wide BAP for seven quarries in Northumberland (see story).This work has helped the company to develop an innovative approach to biodiversity and community engagement which can be replicated across the UK.

Integral to the approach in Northumberland was to formulate a management plan which was in line with the Wildlife Trust’s national BAP benchmark. This process looked at agreeing measurable biodiversity targets for each site. BAPs for each quarry were compiled by Tarmac employees to ensure that all members had fully bought into the biodiversity process and understood the commercial benefits for the business.

Developing the BAPs has assisted Tarmac’s programme of stakeholder engagement in the county. Prior to the BAP launch,Tarmac’s team held forum workshops with local authorities, landowners and members of the public. The Tarmac Schools Biodiversity Challenge also helped with community engagement. This is an initiative where all schools in the county were invited to create and manage biodiversity plans for their grounds.