Costain has been appointed to conduct two biodiversity studies at Manchester and East Midlands airports.
The project will help Manchester Airports Group (MAG) deliver the nature targets in its sustainability strategy, such as establishing a quantified target for biodiversity net gain at each of MAG’s airports by 2028.
Costain’s experts in sustainability and geographic information systems (GIS) will manage and conduct a range of physical and digital surveys covering more than 1,500 hectares of grassland, ponds, scrubland and urban habitats, to help establish a biodiversity baseline at each site.
The infrastructure services company will record habitat areas, types and conditions, while its GIS experts will accurately measure each site’s biodiversity value relative to the UK statutory biodiversity metric set out by the government.
Furah Naeem, principal aviation consultant at Costain, said: “All of our projects have a biodiversity net gain plan, and we’re bringing our skills and experience to help MAG understand the biodiversity baseline at two of its major airports. We have a strong track record of managing biodiversity projects and utilising GIS platforms across a range of sectors, and we will use this experience to support MAG’s sustainability ambitions.”
Isabella McQuillan, biodiversity infrastructure manager at MAG, said: “We believe that Costain’s approach to delivering these important projects will help to ensure that our airports can continue to grow sustainably and responsibly, with utmost regard for the communities and environments in which we operate.”
