The decisions for the allocation of transport and energy infrastructure should aim to minimize environmental impacts protecting biodiversity and habitats integrity. We define here an appropriate criteria to, a) plan the siting of energy and transport infrastructure in the Region Unit of Florina in Greece using Multi-Criteria Decision Approaches and b) to illustrate different scenarios to understand the impacts of different decisions. The main objective was to contribute to the creation of a sustainable energy and transport infrastructure model by enhancing the sustainability of the decision-making mechanism and considering the modern energy needs while respecting the social well-being, natural values and cultural heritage. The final two sets of “exclusion” and “evaluation” criteria were derived from literature review and communication with stakeholders from the area of Florina including factors such as impacts on biodiversity, landscape, culture, local community, and economy and considering the possibility of evaluating and weighting different degrees of importance for each of criterium.
In general, it can be concluded that the use of multi-criteria analysis can assist both in decision making at the level of policy choices and strategic directions, and in the development of scenarios based on policy choices that can be expressed in specific geographical information and ultimately in an effective spatial planning based on the four pillars of sustainability: society, environment, economy, and reversibility of impacts.

Lahore is the 2nd largest city of Pakistan and the 22nd largest city of the world with a population of over 140 million. It was called the city of gardens due to its network of parks, gardens, and canals. Unfortunately, it has undergone a rapid urban sprawl and expanded its transport network. It is also introducing modern means of transportation such as metro buses and trains and building flyovers, underpasses, and overhead roads to meet commuting needs of an ever-growing city. These developments have threatened its already stressed biodiversity with losses in populations and diversity of birds, native trees, indigenous herbaceous flora, green areas including parks and gardens. Its environmental issues are further compounded by its vulnerability to climate change and now, it ranks among the most polluted cities of the world.
This paper, using the Lahore Metropolitan Area, Pakistan as the study area, intends to answer the following research questions: What will be implications of future transport infrastructure development projects for the biodiversity of Lahore? To mitigate these threats, urban transport plans and strategies of other mega-cities are evaluated for selecting suitable discourses and practices to bring positive change to conserve its biodiversity.
To make Lahore a more biodiverse city, some important measures include replanting and increasing the number of indigenous trees in streets and along transport corridors; rolling out wildflower verges on roads and boosting research to enhance our understanding of implications of increasing transport infrastructure by creating a biodiversity data base and natural capital account of Lahore.

Linear infrastructure such as roads dissect the landscape, fragmenting habitats, creating barriers to the movement of wildlife and isolating population groups. On top of this, roads also cause wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) which can be fatal for individuals (people/wildlife). One solution to this has been the development of green bridges that allow for safe passage for wildlife across roads at designated points, however, green bridges are expensive and take a long time to be implemented. There is limited literature available on the use of existing infrastructure to support the movement of wildlife across roads.
The purpose of this feasibility study was to understand the key pinch points and fragmentation caused by the Strategic Road Network (SRN) across Devon County (United Kingdom) and examine options for utilising existing infrastructure to restore connectivity and enhance biodiversity. A literature review and desktop study of wildlife-road interactions for the target species and existing crossing solutions was carried out, followed by the identification of potential crossing structures. A points-based system was used to narrow down potential structures and the final locations were visited to assess their suitability and make recommendations for enhancement features.
This feasibility study has outlined a methodology that identifies infrastructure in key areas that can be used to improve connectivity for wildlife. We have made specific recommendations for enhancing the structures identified within Devon and are looking to implement these across the county. Following this we are planning to apply the methodology in other areas across the UK to reconnect our landscape.

1. Previously
At the IENE congress in 2018 we already showed the first results from the planning phase regarding implementation of ecoducts, etc. There we talked about the different needs of infrastructure versus mobility or ecology and how we can implement all these by using “inclusive” design.

2. Construction phase
The project was subject of multiple adaptations between the first drawings, the permit and the realization on the terrain.

A big effort was for example made for environmental and stakeholder management, new designs – based upon input from the neighborhood and contractor – were made and several extra permits (partially replacing the current). This might concern mooring locations in the river Scheldt (Natura 2000-habitat) to have less freight transport, new soundwalls to even better protect the local residents, extra locations for land depot, etc.
Earlier agreed ecological guidelines were along the way altered because of changed insights or conditions on the terrain. Additional nest boxes were foreseen to compensate for the loss in habitat, extra measures were taken to protect protected species (e.g. orchids), new studies were done to solve drought in green areas, etc.

We aim to “warn” our colleagues for “unforeseen” circumstances, give tips to manage the evolution of the project, maintain a minimum ecological value, … and try to let you see the decision making process of the contractor and their point of view versus the ecological and coping with e.g. Beavers trying to enter the construction zone.

In Flanders (Belgium) the first highways were constructed in the 1970s and 1980s. Presently the majority of road works involve the repair, redevelopment, or adaptation of existing major or local roads to meet new standards.
Additionally, road works necessitate increased consideration for the natural environment, including integration into the landscape, climate change, pavement removal, infiltration, defragmentation, roadside management and more.
Small road projects often do not require a building license, which can lead to missed opportunities for implementing small measures. Project managers may not have the time or budget to conduct surveys for environmental measures. Additionally, there is often a lack of useful technical information regarding possible concrete measures.
The 'Vademecum Road Infrastructure: Ecological Engineering' is intended to serve as a practical technical manual for Dutch speaking planners, designers and project managers of road infrastructure in governments and design offices. It provides information on defragmentation as well as measures for the proper design of roadsides, water management and road equipment in accordance with the environment.
The Vademecum focuses on defragmentation measures, starting with smaller projects and progressing to larger ones. The text is aimed at a specific audience and focuses on the ‘where’ and ‘how’ of implementing defragmentation measures, with less emphasis on ecological information. The Vademecum also highlights key opportunities for integrating environmental measures during the Plan process of infrastructure projects according to the local legislation.

Knowledge about habitats and biodiversity in an area is necessary when planning infrastructure. Fifteen years ago, the situation in Sweden was that different consulting firms conducting nature surveys used various methods with different terminology and assessment scales for their work. Standards for reporting also varied. Taken together, this did not facilitate procurement of surveys, comparisons between different surveys, or communication with authorities.

To address the issue, the Swedish Transport Administration together with the industry and the Swedish Institute for Standards initiated the development of a national standard for biodiversity assessment in 2008. The first edition of the standard was published in 2014, with a new edition released in 2023. The standard describes the process for conducting a biodiversity assessment, what expertise is required, how to assess areas based on structures, habitats, and species present, and how the results should be reported. Along with the standard there is a technical specification describing the structure and delivery of geographic data for use in geographical information systems (GIS).

Thanks to the standard, there is now a common method for assessing and mapping areas based on their significance for biodiversity. The standard is well-known in Sweden, by both authorities, consulting firms, and their clients. Today, it is estimated that more than 1000 surveys in accordance with the standard are conducted each year, and it is uncommon that surveys mapping habitats prior to development projects use a method not based on this standard.