Protecting Biodiversity
Our motorway networks require rigorous management to prevent disruption to natural environments and habitats, and we are always looking for innovative ways to minimise our impacts.
We know that our operations can have potentially negative impacts on nature and biodiversity. The way we use water in our operations can affect the natural environment, as can the generation of rubbish at rest and service areas. Night lighting at toll plazas, and along our roadways, can also interrupt natural biorhythms of local fauna. The existence of our roadways can cause habitat fragmentation, which may affect local flora and fauna.
With more than 2,400 kilometres of roadway, APRR has the largest footprint of all our businesses, and the greatest exposure to biodiversity risks and opportunities. APRR’s approach to biodiversity risk management is based on ISO 14001 and the Eiffage 2023-2025 Biodiversity Plan. Despite their smaller footprint, our other businesses are also undertaking activities to encourage the consideration of nature related impact
Wildlife passages, or eco-bridges, reconnect habitats fragmented by roadways, allowing large and small animals to cross roads safely. A total of 19 eco-bridges have been built on the APRR network since 2020 in partnership with the Ministry of Ecological Transition. The bridges allow fauna to make seasonal migrations and preserve genetic diversity by limiting isolation of animal populations (species most sensitive to habitat fragmentation are red deer and lynx). Monitoring over the past three years has delivered excellent results, recording more than 1,500 annual visits.
The Plant’Adapt project enhances natural environments on motorway roadside areas with the installation of plant ecosystems that are climate change resilient. The project promotes biodiversity, with the additional benefit of storing carbon in soil and wood. At the end of 2024, the project covered one hectare and will expand to nine additional hectares in 2025/2026.
Eco-grazing programs also continued to help manage invasive plant species and maintain grassed areas in 2024. Animals such as sheep, goats and horses graze the land instead of machinery, which resulted in a two-fold increase in the biodiversity of the area. By the end of 2024, 340 hectares were being eco-grazed, with forecasts to extend that to 360 hectares by mid-2025. In 2024, new animals were introduced to the program, including donkeys and llamas.
Support for endangered species is provided through sponsorship of the Athénas Centre, which specialises in the care, rehabilitation and release of wild animals, particularly the Boreal Lynx. Each year, 5,000 animals pass through the doors of the Athénas Centre. For almost 40 years, the Athénas Centre has been welcoming, caring for and releasing wild animals in distress with a view to conserving biodiversity.
Ecological diagnoses are carried out on selected structures to identify species living, nesting or reproducing around them. The diagnoses help better understand the interactions of flora and fauna with the motorway structure so that development, maintenance and ongoing operations can be undertaken to limit negative impacts. For example, night lighting generates luminous pollution that can affect the biorhythms of local species. APRR has taken actions to reduce and modulate night lighting at toll plazas and service areas which will help with this.