SGN Biodiversity Report. December 2017 Faye Tester

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1 SGN Biodiversity Report December 2017 Faye Tester

2 Contents 1 Introduction SGN 3 3 Biodiversity Strategy Environmental Management System (EMS) Plan Bee Operations Community Action Programme Protected Species and Invasive Species Future Plans

3 1 Introduction The Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 requires all public bodies in Scotland, including statutory undertakers, to further the conservation of biodiversity when going about their daily business. The Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011 also requires public bodies in Scotland to provide a publicly available report every three years on the actions they ve taken to meet this biodiversity responsibility. In England, The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and related Biodiversity strategy also details the need to enhance biodiversity, halt its loss and raise awareness. This report outlines the positive actions we ll be taking to further the Act s aims by delivering the objectives of our Environment and Sustainability policy for our stakeholders. 2 SGN SGN is the UK s second largest gas distributor. Our 3800-strong workforce covers 50% of the country s landmass across Scotland and southern England with a developing network in Northern Ireland. We deliver gas safely and efficiently to domestic and commercial customers. For Scotland, this involves 24,000km of pipeline supplying 1.8 million customers and in southern England, 4.1 million customers through 50,000 km of pipelines. Our Environment team manages our environmental performance including biodiversity but many of our other departments can also have a positive impact on our environment. This can range from looking out for badger setts before starting a job to becoming a volunteer bee keeper. 3 Biodiversity Strategy Our Biodiversity Strategy commenced at the end of 2014 with the external publication of our Biodiversity report, in compliance with the previously described legislation. It will be reviewed, updated and republished every 3 years incorporating progress made in the intervening period throughout the whole of SGN. Initially we have decided to place an emphasis on the understanding and deployment of honey bees with a view to expanding their overall numbers. We have decided to focus on honey bees due to their alarming decline in the UK in recent years and because colony collapse would affect many agricultural crops. The species decline can be linked to extensive use of pesticides in farming, loss of flower rich habitat, disease and climate change, particularly wet summers which prevent bees pollinating as normal. We have developed a relationship with Plan Bee Ltd, a honey bee specialist organisation to enable us to: invest in one or more schools to promote the understanding of and keeping of honey bees locate hives on our own sites with a view to involving local depot/office staff in their up keep We will continue to lessen any negative environmental impact we make through operating and maintaining our network by ensuring we carry out site specific risk assessments and develop environmental management plans where required. 3 December 2017

4 Additionally, we plan to: work with the community team to facilitate an expansion of Community Action Program (CAP) schemes which focus on activities in local communities that can lead to biodiversity enhancement identify other SGN sites for which we have no operational need and develop initiatives to enhance the biodiversity on those sites, with involvement with local communities where feasible encourage the involvement of our staff in bee keeping by using Plan Bee Ltd to set up hives and training at 1 or more of our main depots publicise achievements and encourage involvement by SGN staff 4 Environmental Management System (EMS) Our ISO14001 accredited EMS underpins one of our core values - Sustaining our World - through which we aim to positively affect our local communities while minimising our impact on the world around us. Our Environment and Sustainability policy, which is reviewed annually and approved by our Executive board, sits at the heart of our EMS and outlines our responsibilities which include: Maintaining and enhancing biodiversity and achieving sustainable development through responsible management of our activities Managing our land and locations in which we operate in a responsible manner Protection of the environment, including prevention of pollution. Being a responsible neighbour in the communities in which we operate and supporting selected community projects Continually raising employees environmental awareness so they are able to recognise environmental risks and act upon opportunities for improvement. Our full Environment policy can be viewed on our website Below the Environment policy are a number of management procedures and an Environment handbook that help our staff operate in the best way possible for the environment and for themselves. Extract from Environment handbook including details of protected species 4 December 2017

5 5 Plan Bee Bees are essential to our eco-system and pollinate at least a third of the world s food. The bad news is they re in serious decline with a 54% drop in honey bee colonies in the last 20 years and the number of bee farmers in the UK dropping a massive 65%. To help tackle this decline we decided to work with Plan Bee Ltd to install beehives in selected schools and our own offices. We started the project in 2016 and have since installed beehives in a local school (Trinity High School, Rutherglen) and in our Glasgow depot. We are working with the school to provide an education programme and school-wide bee activities over the next three years. At our Bee day launch we invited 35 school pupils and Springwatch presenter Chris Packham to chat to the pupils about the importance of bees to our environment. Afterwards, they launched specially designed seed bombs which burst on hitting the ground, dispersing native Scottish wildflower seeds and creating the perfect environment for bees to thrive. Left: Chris Packham checks out our bees. Right: Head of Operations (Scotland) Jim Small helps the pupils launch seed bombs At Trinity High School we helped the pupils build raised beds to create an Eco-garden and vegetable patch to inspire the Eco-group and benefit the pupils and the bees. Staff volunteered to help deliver the project and SGN also sponsored some plants for the garden. There is the potential to install beehives in other depots and offices, as well as schools in the near future. 5 December 2017

6 6 Operations When operating and maintaining our network we always aim to minimise our negative impacts. When undertaking major construction projects and other operational activities we create site specific risk assessments which identify environmental risks and the controls that are needed to minimise damage to flora and fauna. Environmental management plans are developed and implemented where required, to ensure measures are taken to avoid habitat destruction. Where temporary impact has been unavoidable when replacing or constructing our network, we always restore the area back to its existing condition. 7 Community Action Programme Our CAP (Community Action Programme) scheme, managed by our Head of Community, actively encourages all our employees to participate in projects designed to benefit local communities. Volunteers spend at least one day away from their day jobs each year to work in groups on worthy projects that benefit the local community and its environment. In June 2017 alone, 471 colleagues took part in CAP projects across both Scotland and southern England. Between January 2015 and Nov 2017, 272 projects took place and 4244 volunteers. Some of the CAP biodiversity improvement projects completed during 2016 included: Eskrigg Nature Reserve (Dumfries Depot) A project to make the Eskrigg Nature Reserve and Woodland Walks in Lockerbie more accessible for wheelchair users has taken a step closer to completion this month, with the help of volunteers from Dumfries depot. Famed locally as a red squirrel hotspot, Eskrigg is a small nature reserve on the outskirts of Lockerbie. A two-year project has recently been completed to improve access for wheelchair users to the reserve itself. A team of 19 volunteers from SGN were able to help with the next stage - creating two miles of hardcore pathways providing disabled access to the neighbouring woodlands. The team, all from Dumfries depot, spent two days creating sections of woodland path totalling 145 metres. This involved removing the turf, then laying a protective membrane, coarse gravel sub-base and a fine gravel topping. They also completed a number of other jobs, such as installing two drainage pipes. The idea to help out at the nature 6 December 2017

7 reserve came from Kenny Morland, a Team Manager from SGN s Dumfries depot. I live very close to the Eskrigg reserve and have spent many a happy hour there. Everyone at SGN gets a day each year on company time to help out in their local community so this seemed like the perfect way to give something extra back. We had a fantastic time! Friends of the Calder (Coatbridge depot) 22 colleagues from Coatbridge depot embarked on a CAP day at Milheugh Estate in Blantyre, where they totally transformed a number of areas which had become overgrown and unusable. The project was identified by Jim Devine, a Team Leader, who is involved with various local community organisations. This project was in partnership with the Friends of the Calder group a small group of volunteers who give up their time and effort to try to enhance and beautify the green spaces around Blantyre, mainly at Greenhall and Milheugh. Cissbury Ring (Senior Management) A team of our senior managers were following in the footsteps of their ancestors recently, when they gave up their time to help the National Trust protect an ancient South Downs landmark. The area around the fort is home to a variety of insects, rare birds like skylarks, reptiles such as adders and a host of other wildlife. Part of the Trust s ongoing management of the historic landmark involves keeping scrub and trees in check to ensure this diversity of wildlife in the chalk grassland habitat is not lost. Our 18-strong SGN team met at the historic site, and using bow saws and branch loppers helped to cut down a sloping bank of brambles and small trees from the side of one of the hill fort s ramparts. Under the watchful eye of two fire marshals, they then burned the vegetation they had removed. It was the second year in a row our senior managers had volunteered at the National Trust site, and prior to that they carried out work on the Trust s Brownsea Island to help preserve the island s red squirrel population. They offered their support as part of our Community Action Programme, in which every employee is given one day each year to make a difference in their local community. 7 December 2017

8 8 Protected Species and Invasive Species We have procedures and guidance in place for identifying and reacting to protected species and invasive species. When we come across protected species such as badgers we stop work immediately and contact a specialist consultant to ensure all the correct steps are taken. With invasive species, such as Japanese Knotweed, if these are identified during site inspections, we engage a specialist to create a treatment plan to eradicate the species. Guidance on these areas is given in our Environment Handbook. 9 Future Plans 1. We are currently working to demolish gas holders across our network. Where land is no longer required for operational needs, we will assess the suitability, for land to be developed environmentally, creating its own ecosystem. A typical holder demolition project where vacant land may become suitable for biodiversity development is shown below. 2. Our portfolio includes several pockets of land containing small operational assets, which may lend themselves to further development of biodiversity. We are looking into ideas for these areas, such as wild flower gardens to support the local bee colonies. BEFORE AFTER 8 December 2017