HS2 THE COST TO WILDLIFE

Four years ago, in BBC Wildlife, conservationist Chris Baines argued that HS2, the new high-speed railway linking London with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, need not be a wildlife disaster. In fact, Europe’s largest current infrastructure project could create a 530km green corridor through lowland England. This spring, the first shovels – or more accurately, the first massive drilling rigs – hit the soil. So what happens next? What will be the impact on wildlife? Could HS2 still enhance the natural world?

Most environmental charities, from the National Trust to Friends of the Earth, have sounded concern over HS2. Chris Packham’s lawyers are currently considering a crowdfunded legal challenge. Extinction Rebellion activists and concerned residents are undertaking direct action against the drillers and diggers, particularly in the Colne Valley, near London, and the ancient woodland of South Cubbington, Warwickshire. But environmental arguments in favour of the line persist.