The High Speed 2 (HS2) project is one of the most ambitious infrastructure developments in the UK. Designed to enhance connectivity between major cities, it promises faster travel and economic benefits.
Yet, beneath these advantages lies a story of nature. How will this mammoth project affect British wildlife? Let’s explore the balance between progress and preservation.
The Barn Owl Trust says that HS2 is a ‘very expensive way of killing owls. Join the campaign to Stop HS2.
HS2: An Overview
HS2 is a high-speed railway that aims to transform travel and boost the economy in the UK. Spanning hundreds of miles, its construction is split into phases that traverse diverse landscapes.
The project’s primary goal is to cut travel times, thus improving transport efficiency. By connecting London with cities like Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds, HS2 looks to spur economic growth and ease congestion on existing lines.
Interestingly, it also purports to have environmental benefits, such as reducing carbon emissions by promoting public transport use over cars and planes.
HS2 will carve through various regions, from leafy woodlands to open fields. These areas host rich ecosystems, with the Midlands and the North bearing the brunt of the construction. Ancient woodlands, home to a variety of species, face the greatest threat as they risk being fragmented or entirely lost.
Impact on British Wildlife
Construction activities can uproot trees and open up landscapes, leading to a loss of habitats. Many species rely on continuous habitats for survival, and the severing of these can disrupt migration and breeding patterns.
Moreover, noise and pollution during construction may deter wildlife from thriving in these areas.
Creatures both large and small could find themselves in peril. Notably, protected species such as the great crested newt, bats, and certain bird species face an uncertain future.
These animals more often inhabit the ecosystems that lie in HS2’s path and depend on very specific habitats to survive.
Although HS2 plan to erect wildlife bridges and tunnels (and plant more trees to create new habitats), this is too little, too late). Already England’s second-largest pear tree has been taken down, and thousands of birds and wild animals have already been killed.
Despite ecologists saying HS2 won’t even make a dent in reducing climate change emissions, it’s estimated that once built, it would kill around 20,000 wildlife a year, based on estimates with other high-speed train projects abroad.
It’s a big white elephant, simply to help people ‘get there faster’ when we need to slow down (why can’t people have virtual meetings?) Instead, environmental and transport experts recommend that the money wasted be used instead to make train travel more comfortable and affordable for everyone. Many places in England have no train station at all, or outdated rolling stock.
A report by wildlife experts says that HS2 bosses have got their calculations wrong, and wants the existing work halted until updated methodology is used so new (correct) findings are assessed by government. Unfortunately most MPs (of all colours) voted for HS2 – see how your MP voted at TheyWorkForYou.
Financial Times journalist Simon Kuper lives in Paris, and regularly ‘zips into London’ on TGV (France’s high-speed train). He says the UK version is a vanity project, as England is a quarter of the size of France or Spain, so London to Manchester is half the distance of most TGV journeys. We can easily reach places without need for flying, so we don’t need a ‘replacement’ for something that’s not needed.
Wildlife campaigner Chris Packham recently too the government to court (and lost) trying to stop HS2 on the grounds that it would cause irreversible damage to ancient woodlands and habitats.
Another concerns is that swans and geese often mistake flooded railway tracks for rivers, so would also be at risk. He argues that the government was badly advised by industry (vested interests). And also did not account of obligations under the Paris Agreement and Climate Change Act.
Many wildlife species also live near railways, which is why Network Rail employs ecologists to know how to least affect lizards, grass snakes, deer, water voles and slow worms (along with Pipistrelle bats that roost in trees, tunnels and bridges). T
rackside workers are also given information on how to record sightings and report to their environmental experts. Why are they not being consulted?
The Cubbington pear tree has however (like the Northumbrian sycamore tree recently felled by vandals) showed signs of coming back to life, with new seedlings from its transplanted tree stump.
England is not a big enough country to need high-speed rail. If built, it could kill around 22,000 wildlife each year, based on comparisons with high-speed rails abroad. Wildfowl mistake flooded railways for rivers. Barn Owl Trust says that HS2 is a ‘very expensive way of killing owls’.
All sustainability campaigners say the colossal amount of money, would be better spend updating rolling stock (especially in ‘ignored areas’ like the north of England and south west). Which often have poor public transport links, for both buses and trains.
Public and Expert Opinions
Conservationists are concerned about HS2’s extensive environmental footprint. They argue that while mitigation sounds good in theory, ancient woodlands and unique ecosystems can’t simply be recreated elsewhere. Once gone, these natural wonders are lost forever.
Most local people lament the loss of natural beauty and the noise disruption. This is the ultimate story (like fracking) of bit companies building structures they would never see on their own doorstep.
Future projects can draw on HS2’s experiences to adopt more sustainable practices. Incorporating environmental considerations at the planning stage, and ensuring real habitat creation, can set new standards for infrastructure development.
