Monitoring flora and fauna by railway tracks in order to support better management of lineside habitats is extremely difficult due to safety concerns, the size of Britain’s 20,000-mile rail network and the number of expert surveyors required.
The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and technology firm Keen AI have been working with Network Rail to develop innovative solutions to remotely monitor biodiversity. They have demonstrated that AI can identify invasive species by the track, as well as native trees that are potentially at threat due to disease such as ash dieback.
This information would enable railway workers to carry out appropriate action to better manage lineside vegetation, as part of Network Rail’s commitment to achieve biodiversity net gain on its land by 2035.
Since the 1960s, changes in vegetation associated with the railway have resulted in the loss of biodiverse, flower-rich habitats. Network Rail has committed to end net loss...