When constructing track infrastructure, avoiding interferences with nature is not always possible. Our business activities, especially the construction and maintenance of track infrastructure, have a significant impact. This often results in land use changes that convert natural landscapes into traffic areas. This can have a negative impact on the habitats of animal and plant species and on the extent and condition of ecosystems.

The protection of nature and biodiversity is a central task for us, which we take into account from the planning to the construction and operation of our facilities.

To that end, we are developing a biodiversity strategy that extends beyond compensating for negative impacts and creates sustainable added value for nature. To counteract the loss of biodiversity and ecosystems, we act according to the principle of the mitigation hierarchy: firstly, negative impacts on nature must be avoided as far as possible. Where intervention is unavoidable, we implement measures to ­mitigate the negative effects. We create suitable compensation areas for any remaining adverse effects in order to fully compensate for them in accordance with nature conservation regulations.

For all DB Group companies in Germany, we implement with our environmental protection framework directives, such as “Nature conservation compensation obligations,” “Qualification of an environmental specialist/environmental construction supervisor No. 127 in accordance with the Environmental Guide of the Federal Railway Authority” and the “Integrated Plant Protection System” requirements and directives in these topics. For example, the guidelines on nature conservation compensation obligations have been governing the handling of those obligations from planning through implementation to maintenance since 2017, and define the fundamentals for the legally prescribed reporting to the approval authorities and the use of the Nature Conservation and Compensation Specialist Information System (FINK) No. 59.

All of our infrastructure projects undergo a comprehensive official approval process in which the environmental impact is examined and which requires coordination with the nature conservation authorities, among others. By involving authorities and citizens and by providing environmental reports as part of the approval process, the potential impact of a project on the environment is identified at an early stage and taken into account in the project decision. Various instruments are available for this purpose, such as the environmental and flora-fauna habitat (FFH) impact assessment, the special species protection assessment and the intervention regulation. This is aimed at avoiding potential negative impacts on nature as far as possible. We fully compensate for any actual negative effects identified. The effectiveness of compensation measures and the assurance of full compensation for our interventions in nature and the landscape are assessed using the biotope valuation method anchored in the Federal compensation ordinance and the respective state compensation regulations. Biotope value points, which quantify the ecological significance and condition of a biotope and help to assess the value for the productivity and functionality of the ecosystem and the landscape in an integrative manner, serve as a measure. It enables proof to be provided that at least as many biotope value points are created through compensation and replacement measures as are lost through interventions. The Federal Railway Authority is responsible for monitoring the implementation and supervision of the mitigation and compensation measures under nature conservation law.

We are in regular contact with the responsible approval authorities and environmental organizations regarding our nature conservation activities.