The Dutch have always prided themselves in being able to turn challenges of nature into opportunities: we even made land from water. We are currently facing a new nature-related dilemma. Several animal species are thriving due to reintroduction and preservation policy. A number of endangered species, such as beavers, wolves, badgers and storks, are rapidly growing in numbers. However, the number of locations where these endangered animals destabilize our infrastructure is also increasing. This poses a real threat to water management, traffic safety and throughput. For example, railway operator ProRail has detected dozens of locations where animal digging activity is invading the railway system.
Although many Dutch parties focus on specific aspects, a comprehensive approach that balances ecological challenges and infrastructural integrity had not been formulated. Through integration of scientific knowledge, practical monitoring, legal clarity and future-proof policy on all government levels, the Dutch national program FIF (Flora, Infrastructure and Fauna) brought together relevant partners to identify pressing legal and practical issues and laid the groundwork for sustainable policy making.
We based our approach on the Ruijters (2006) model of the learning landscape and used intervention techniques related to psychology, sociology and organizational science. We are building a common knowledge base and started a shared monitoring system by commissioning research into the expected development of the issue and creating a safe learning environment. Legal issues seemed to be the most challenging at first, but by approaching it in terms of shared views of public interest, we propose a broadly-supported solution.

Partnerships between operators of linear transport infrastructure (LTI), landowners of LTI rights-of-way (ROW) and local stakeholders with skills in the management of natural environments can be a smart solution for the efficient ecological management of green verges of roads, railways, waterways and powerlines. However, partnerships are poorly developed and experiments often face with viability problems. Understanding the reasons for such a situation was the first step toward the development of a model of viable partnerships. Teachings were provided by the study of 8 partnerships selected in France and Belgium, for the 4 types of LTI: motivation of partners, rules established, encountered difficulties, efficiency of the cooperation on the ecological, technical and socio-economic point of view. Drawing on different legal, historical and socio-economic contexts, the two countries have developed varied solutions for designing and managing partnerships, which can be mutually beneficial. The critical analysis of the knowledge gathered was used to develop a general sustainable management partnership model for the different LTIs. A series of workshops with representatives of all concerned stakeholders was used in France (Britany) then Belgium (Wallonia) to incrementally validate/improve the relevance, admissibility and applicability of all the elements of the proposed model of contract for the creation of viable ecological management partnerships for rights-of-way of linear transport infrastructures.

Transport and energy infrastructure are key drivers of global economic development. According to the G20, the forthcoming investment of over $94 trillion worldwide in the transport and energy sectors represents a major opportunity for stimulus packages such as the EU Green Deal. However, the 50% increase in networks by 2040/2050 is also a major challenge for biodiversity and the environment.
Their negative impacts on climate change and biodiversity are significant and deserve consideration as they impact global economic development. Indeed all networks: transport, energy and renewable energies must, jointly, address the issue in order to optimise synergies. Sustainability research and policy in the transport and energy sector must now take into account both biodiversity and climate issues.
For two and a half years, the BISON project, supported by the European Commission, has sought to respond to this challenge, attracting a wide response at national, European and international level for the first time. The suddenness, diversity, and magnitude of actors that joined and supported the action highlight how BISON catalysed needs and gaps.
The Strategic Research and Deployment Agenda developed there, first of its kind in the world, is not a ready-made solution for achieving full environmental integration in transport infrastructure. Rather, it serves as an essential step to initiate concrete dialogue and cooperation with stakeholders who often work in isolated silos. It endeavours to catalyse transformative change and pave the way for a more harmonious coexistence between biodiversity and infrastructure where public AND private actors have to work closely together.

The impact of anthropogenic climate change is evident in all areas. The European Union (EU) is trying to monitor and solve the situation through the mandatory ‘green’ reporting (so-called ESG reporting), related not only to classical industrial sites but also to various infrastructure, incl. the transportation sector. In July 2023, the European Commission (EC) adopted the Delegated Act on the first set of European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), related to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
However, the ESRS standards were proposed for all related parts, none of them represents a methodological guideline, which is a bottleneck of their overall aim. The aim of the presentation is than to show this problem on two selected parts of ESG reporting, i.e. the CSRS standard E4 dealing with biodiversity and ecosystems, and E3 related to water and marine resources management.
Results of biodiversity and water footprints will be presented on practical examples related to the transportation infrastructure (e.g., road construction). The biodiversity footprint will be based on the assessment of land-use and present species (e.g. species abundance, potentially disappeared species, proportion of degraded land), while the water footprint on water consumption and water scarcity (i.e., reflecting water source, local sites specificity).
To conclude, to be able to compare reporting companies as well as to map their continuous improvement between individual years, it would be advantageous to accompany the ESRS standards with more detailed methodological instructions, not only for ESG parts’ calculations itself, but also for establishing valid benchmarking criteria for the future.

Including the complex issues of road and rail transport, landscape fragmentation and the wildlife protection in the teaching of pupils aged 7-10 may seem strange and even impossible. Nevertheless, it is of great importance, mainly for two main reasons: (i) it creates in children a realistic view of contemporary nature, as a place where natural processes and human activity always meet; (ii) develops from early childhood the idea of human responsibility for one's actions, as a basis for the sustainable development of society. The author's more than ten years of experience with the application of a special education program for 1st grade pupils at a number of elementary schools in the Czech Republic show that pupils of this age category understand the essence of the issue very well. This is also proven by the results of a research carried out in the form of evaluation of individual drawings of children, which they create after the end of the program. The condition for success is compliance with basic didactic principles, such as above all the principle of age adequacy and the principle of active involvement of pupils in teaching. The presentation contain the overall concept of the teaching program, examples of teaching activities and the results of a research of pupils´ opinions.

Railways are of strategic importance for the transport system, not only facilitating eco-friendly travels, but also hosting diverse ecosystems that offer services for safe, reliable operations, and for surrounding communities. While advocated as the backbone of the future mobility to achieve the zero pollution targets in the EU Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, it's imperative to address potential drawbacks. Significant environmental and social repercussions, such as land take, biodiversity loss and carbon emissions should be prioritised in the development of large-scale infrastructure plans by implementing a mitigation hierarchy.
The International Union of Railways (UIC), along with its members, acknowledges the potential for biodiversity conservation in railways. The UIC Ecosystem Valuation for Railways (ECOV4R) project, aligned with the EU nature restoration law and 2030 Biodiversity Strategy, has been launched to globally support the sector’s effort to apply ecosystem services principles in land management. The project focuses on assessing and monetising ecosystem services associated with infrastructure projects, particularly new lines. By leveraging approaches and valuation techniques, it aims to align global railway infrastructure expansion, including the including the Trans-European Transport Network, with sustainability and biodiversity targets for 2030 and 2050.
This paper will present insights from a spatial ecosystem analysis performed on the railway networks of the project members. This will be supported by the global framework developed for railway infrastructure managers to asses ecosystem services in infrastructure developments. Through this framework, railway stakeholders can evaluate, value, and report on the diverse ecosystem services provided by their lands, aligning with sustainability goals.