HS2 Biodiversity Accounting Reports
The biodiversity accounting methodology and position for HS2.
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HS2 is seeking to achieve biodiversity gains for each phase of the route. Our Biodiversity Accounting Reports for HS2 (to date available for Phase 2a) provide the methodology for determining our biodiversity accounting position on HS2 and a summary of the interim results.
Biodiversity accounting is an iterative process and will be updated over the lifetime of a project. HS2 uses a modified version of the original Defra metric to calculate it’s biodiversity accounting position. The HS2 biodiversity metric has been used as an ‘accounting tool’ and applied to the habitats (area habitats, watercourses and hedgerows) present before and after construction, to compare the losses and gains in biodiversity units from the delivery of HS2.
During design development and construction, efforts will continue to be made to seek to avoid or further reduce the impacts of the scheme and deliver further biodiversity gains. As a consequence, the biodiversity accounting baseline reports should be considered a worst case figure which will be improved upon during design development and construction.
HS2 Ltd are working on adding Reports for each Phase of the Project to this Page and will update in due course.