On 27 February, BISON and UIC – International union of railways are pleased to launch the UIC Sustainability Action Week with an international event to enhance the results of the European BISON project for railways.
Participants will come together from different expertise sectors, institutions, and companies to address the topics proposed in each think tank discussion. The aim is to further establish a connection between ecology, biodiversity and ecosystem management, with railway infrastructure management.
The modal shift to rail is an important step to achieve decarbonisation targets worldwide since the rail represent the lowest carbon emitting transport solution for freight and passengers. Railways can and will contribute to the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals. To do so, while increasing mobility and connectivity on a global scale, it will be increasingly important to understand the impacts on railway land, the role that railway infrastructure managers can play in enhancing and ensuring the correct efficiency of the ecosystems present on said land, and the ecological implications, benefits and measures necessary to ensure an environmentally friendly transport mode.
Throughout discussions on the latest topics merging railways and ecology, and with high level presentations from key speakers, it is possible to inspire solutions for railway land management strategies and practices as to benefit from the collective knowledge of the diverse participants.
It aim can be achieved with deployment of the EU BISON Project knowledge and achievements in the railway sector. Therefore, the first session of the event consists of think tank discussions running all together in parallel: each participant will choose a single discussion topic for discussion beyond their field of expertise and generate ideas on how to contribute to the that think tank activities. Each think tank will be guided by a Facilitator who provided solid contribution to the work packages of the EU BISON Project activities.
Participants will complete their registration on the “EU BISON Project – UIC Sustainable Land Use Day by selecting one of the following interest groups:
- Policies affecting biodiversity strategies and land use topics
- Land cover, sealed surfaces and nature-based solutions
- Biodiversity monitoring and reporting
After the think tank discussion, the facilitator of each think tank will present their sessions to all participants in the respective sessions. The facilitator is also expected to give an informative speech including possible links with the EU BISON Project activities. Each facilitator’s presentation will be followed by relevant presentations of railway experts.
The event will conclude with a showcase of UIC’s international activities to enhance biodiversity conservation together with its members in the Sustainable Land Use sector.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement 