10 Maintenance of ecological assets on transport linear infrastructure

Management of habitats for pollinators and other small fauna

To check

Appropriate state and condition of vegetation planted to feed pollinators is found and their habitats are suitable according to standards in the maintenance plan.
No vegetation obstructs driver’s field of vision.
No Invasive Alien Species are found.
Appropriate state of refuges for pollinators and other small fauna (trunks with holes, ‘insects hotels’, etc.) are maintained according to the standards provided.

To do

Sow, plant and maintain herbaceous and flowering aromatic plants to feed pollinators
Plant only native species that are already present in the natural ecosystems.
Select a variety of plants that feed target pollinators species throughout the season.
Choose plants that need a low mowing regime and adapt mowing activities according to the flowering period of each plant.
Create and maintain insect refuges
Ensure the presence of breaks in the vegetation cover with small areas of sand and other areas with some dead wood.
When required, install insect refuges (‘bee-hotels’ or posts with holes). The hole size and arrangement need to be adapted to the pollinator target species.
Do not install beehives for honeybees because these could act as competitors for many other species of endangered pollinators.
Create and maintain habitats for small fauna
Consider placing stumps and logs on parts of the verge furthest from traffic, to create habitats for endangered xylophage insects.
Consider installing stone or wood rows, bat refuges, bird nesting-boxes or any other refuges for fauna in areas where they cannot be affected by vehicle collisions, such as within large wildlife crossings.
Avoid creating ‘ecological traps’, which are habitats attracting animals to areas with high mortality risk. Seek wildlife/ecology experts to provide information adapted to the local ecological landscape.

Minimum: once a year, just before spring, the period of pollinators main activity or according to target species requirements.
In areas where pollinator habitat creation is a target, maintenance tasks should be left until the flowering period of most plants has finished.
Avoid disturbance caused by vegetation management during breeding and hibernation periods of target species.

Maintenance of ecological assets on transport linear infrastructure