Biodiversity booklet - NS by missalicewong

IMPROVED HABITAT

[by dealing with the actual issues]

INCREASE THE NS SERVICE USERS

ENHANCE BIODIVERSITY

THE TRAIN SYSTEM IS NEITHER THE CAUSE OF DECREASED BIODIVERSITY NOR THE BEST PLACE TO TACKLE THE ISSUE. BETTER ENIRONMENT

LESS CO2 EMISSIONS

LESS PEOPLE DRIVE THEIR CARS

As it stands, rail transport has a positive effect on biodiversity. So the best way the NS can help the environment is to increase the passenger numbers.

The NS currently uses the notion of SUSTAINABILITY to market their service. The NS should focus on providing a good habitat for the customers before it considers getting inspired by ideas of how to protect and enhance biodiversity. We are concerned that this project and the content generated by us will be used in the same manner. This improved habitat is a more honest way to increase the number of people using the service, which in turn will have greater environmental benefits than increasing the number of species on the train system itself. There are more pressing issues that the NS can work on and do something better. Communication is the most important issue we have found.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Biodiversity is the resilience engine of the environment.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; - Naturalis

NS IS NOT THE CAUSE OF DECLINE IN BIODIVERSITY.

The major causes of biodiversity decline are Land use changes, Pollution, 3 Changes in atmospheric CO2 concentrations, 4 Changes in the nitrogen cycle and acid rain, 5 Climate alterations, 1 2

All coincident to human population growth.. (Sala, et al., 2000).

Land use changes

Due to the increase in land cultivation, the diversity of plant and animal life is at risk. The 2010 biodiversity target to achieve a significant reduction of biodiversity loss, set by world governments in 2002, has not been met at a global level. The dramatic increase in the number of humans during the 20th century has instigated a concomitant growth in agriculture, and has led to conversion of wildlands to croplands, massive diversions of water from lakes, rivers and underground aquifers, and, at the same time, has polluted water and land resources with pesticides, fertilizers, and animal wastes. The result has been the destruction, disturbance or disabling of terrestrial ecosystems, and polluted, oxygen-depleted and atrophied water resources. All forms of farming have major impacts on biodiversity, especially when new land is brought into cultivation. Habitats are destroyed and new ecological niches created which allow typical farmland species of birds, insects, mammals and weeds to establish themselves. Changes in how the land is managed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; particularly what crop is grown and the time of year it is sown â&#x20AC;&#x201C; make a difference to the biodiversity year by year. Changing the way crops are managed, including for example the use of GM herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant plant varieties, can also influence this. Railroads and stations only cover insignificant amount of the land.

NS IS NOT THE CAUSE OF DECLINE IN BIODIVERSITY.

NS IS NOT THE CAUSE OF DECLINE IN BIODIVERSITY. 2

Pollution

Industrial, agricultural and waste-based pollutants can have catastrophic effects on many species. Those species which are more tolerant of pollution will survive; those requiring pristine environments (water, air, food) will not. Thus, pollution can act as a selective agent. Pollution of water in lakes and rivers has degraded waters so that many freshwater ecosystems are dying. Since almost 12% of animals species live in these ecosystems, and most others depend on them to some degree, this is a very serious matter. In developing countries approximately 90% of wastewater is discharged, untreated, directly into waterways. Many locomotives that travel through cities and neighborhoods are powered by high-polluting diesel engines that lack pollution controls. In terms of CO2 emissions, a train journey is on average 75% cleaner than a car journey. Traveling by train is a clean way of traveling. Did you know that a train is already 75% cleaner than the average car? From 2015 to only cleaner. Because from January 1st fifty percent already runs on wind power. In 2018 you can travel completely carbon neutral, then all the trains to green electricity. The green electricity comes from wind farms that are setting up special Eneco. NS and the other rail carriers The rail sector and Eneco thus contribute to the sustainability of the Netherlands. http://www.nsontwerpwedstrijd.nl/

NS IS NOT THE CAUSE OF DECLINE IN BIODIVERSITY. Changes in atmospheric CO2 concentrations, 3

Changes in the nitrogen cycle and acid rain, 4

Climate alterations,

Rail transport is good for climate protection Due to the lower rolling resistance of the wheel-rail-system, the railways are more energy efficient than rubber tyres on asphalt. The fact that emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) are directly related to energy consumption and to the source of the energy means that the railways make an active contribution to protecting the climate.

NS IS NOT THE CAUSE OF DECLINE IN BIODIVERSITY. 6

Human Population Growth

The geometric rise in human population levels during the twentieth century is the fundamental cause of the loss of biodiversity. It exacerbates every other factor having an impact on rainforests (not to mention other ecosystems). It has led to an unceasing search for more arable land for food production and livestock grazing, and for wood for fuel, construction, and energy. Previously undisturbed areas (which may or may not be suitable for the purposes to which they are constrained) are being transformed into agricultural or pasture land, stripped of wood, or mined for resources to support the energy needs of an ever-growing human population. Humans also tend to settle in areas of high biodiversity, which often have relatively rich soils and other attractions for human activities. This leads to great threats to biodiversity, especially since many of these areas have numerous endemic species. Balmford, et al., (2001) have demonstrated that human population size in a given tropical area correlates with the number of endangered species, and that this pattern holds for every taxonomic group. Regional rail transport saves space and reduces road congestion Worldwide, metropolitan areas continue to expand. This includes Europe, where cities and their environs are merging into conurbations. In rural regions, trains form the backbone of public transport. At the same time, the train is the ideal transport mode for meeting the growing demands for transport services in cities. This is why an increasing number of metropolitan areas are putting their faith in the railways. Investing in rail transport today will avoid transport problems and congestion in the future.

RAILWAYS ARE AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY AND EFFICIENT FORM OF TRANSPORT.