Environmental alliance forged as KESR looks to safeguard nature
THE conservation of nature and an operational steam and diesel heritage line may sound an unlikely alliance, but for the Kent & East Sussex Railway it is a partnership which is bridging the gap between 19th century Victorian technology and the 21st century determination to safeguard the country’s environmental future.
Spearheading this partnership is a sustainability group formed by the Tenterden-based KESR, the role of which is to identify, protect and enhance biodiversity along the line’s 10½-mile route. Such an agenda may seem based more on modern parlance than the everyday aims of a preserved railway, but that would underestimate the resolve of the group to make a difference to the countryside through which the KESR runs.
Ecology is nothing new to the railway, for initiatives over the years have included bird boxes, bug hotels and nature-friendly gardens at stations, while the forestry and conservation team has planted more than 1000 trees at Rolvenden and Wittersham Road stations that were supplied by the Woodland Trust and Ashford Borough Council.
Indeed, the railway was highly commended for its environmental innovations in the recent Heritage
Railway Association’s 2024 awards, and the sustainability group sees this as a stepping stone for even more progress in the coming years.
Under the leadership of chairman Paul Vidler and Keith Barron, who is the lead on biodiversity and habitats, the group has set its sights on measuring the state of the railway’s biodiversity over its ‘estate’ of 300 acres and how to preserve and enhance it, and the Kent Wildlife Trust Consultancy has been engaged to coordinate a two-year biodiversity survey.
Encouraging results
Early results are enormously encouraging and confirm how ecologically rich and diverse this railway ‘estate’ is. Some 89 species of birds have been identified, 17 of which are on the red list of endangered species and 22 on the amber list, and 15 species of bumblebees. And the news gets even better, for among the birds were nightingales and turtle doves, two species which have seen numbers plummet by 90% in the past 50 years.
The railway’s lineside vegetation alone was found to support at least 37 bird species, of which eight are red-listed and 11 amber-listed, and along the line’s 10½ miles, 60 yellowhammer, 57 reed bunting, 49 skylark and 24 linnet territories have been identified, while two rare bumblebee species were revealed.
The group is also working with the Kentish Stour Catchment Partnership, which is currently surveying a large pond between the railway’s Rolvenden and Wittersham Road stations with a view to a potential restoration that would support the introduction of great crested newts.
It is not only within the world of birds, insects, and aquatic wildlife that the railway’s environmental initiative is having an impact, for a major development is the planting of elm trees as part of a Kent County Council tree establishment strategy.
Many will remember the Dutch elm disease that was rife in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s, an ecological disaster that killed 25 million trees, resulting in very few mature elms surviving and fundamentally changing the English landscape. In the ensuing years, a disease-resistant elm species has been developed, and 10 of these will be planted lineside. In addition to being disease-resistant, these trees can also tolerate drought and waterlogging, making them ideally suited to the railway’s lineside habitats, and it is expected there will be considerable interest in how they thrive.
Wildlife spotting
The railway is also to provide passengers with guides to help them spot wildlife during their journeys and on April 7 is organising a Green Fun Day in collaboration with local community groups to offer a range of family activities, including nature and garden talks from Sissinghurst Castle Garden experts. In addition, group bird-watching guided trips with onboard ornithologists and featuring stops along the line will be held during May and June.
Keith Barron told Heritage Railway that the biodiversity survey would be confirmation that the KESR was custodian of not only an important part of Britain’s transport history, but also of wildlife habitat and its residents.
“We are committed to sustainability and conservation, and like other heritage railways, we have a unique opportunity to protect and regenerate nature in the habitats we care for, helping to link up green corridors that benefit both nature and people who live nearby,” he said.
“We are the custodian of not only a piece of history, but also of a unique green corridor with a rich mosaic of different habits, supporting a wealth of flora and fauna. This is just the beginning of an important journey for us as a heritage railway, so watch this space.”