Chapter 16
Ecological Roles of Railway Verges
in Anthropogenic Landscapes: A Synthesis
of Five Case Studies in Northern France
J.-C. Vandevelde and C. Penone
Abstract This chapter presents the results of several studies realised between 2010
and 2014 on the French railway network. We assessed several potential ecological
roles for this network on various taxa: (1) habitat, (2) corridor/longitudinal connectivity along railways and (3) barrier/transversal connectivity across railways. Our
results show that railway verges, contrary to common belief, can have positive effects
in anthropogenic landscapes for several taxa and communities. They can be habitats
for semi-natural grassland plants, bats and orthopteran. They provide functional
connectivity for some plants, but do not seem to increase it for highly mobile invasive
species in urban landscapes. Railways also seem to be weaker barriers than roads for
one butterfly species. We conclude by proposing a change in management practices,
stressing that extensive management coupled with small-scale revegetation processes, either artificial or natural, may help increase the positive effects of railway
verges and counteract the negative large-scale effects of urbanisation.
Keywords Habitat Á Corridor Á Barrier Á Agricultural landscape Á Urban landscape Á Bat Á Orthoptera Á Plant Á Butterfly Á Railway verges management
Introduction
Changes in land-use are important drivers of biodiversity loss (MEA 2005). Linear
infrastructures such as roads and railways play a particular role in this process by
altering, artificializing and fragmenting landscapes (see previous chapters).
J.-C. Vandevelde (&)
UMR 7204 (MNHN-CNRS-UPMC), Centre d’Ecologie et de Sciences
de la Conservation (CESCO), 43 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
e-mail: vandeveldejeanchristophe@gmail.com
C. Penone
Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern,
Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland
© The Author(s) 2017
L. Borda-de-Água et al. (eds.), Railway Ecology,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-57496-7_16
261
Ecological Roles of Railway Verges
in Anthropogenic Landscapes: A Synthesis
of Five Case Studies in Northern France
J.-C. Vandevelde and C. Penone
Abstract This chapter presents the results of several studies realised between 2010
and 2014 on the French railway network. We assessed several potential ecological
roles for this network on various taxa: (1) habitat, (2) corridor/longitudinal connectivity along railways and (3) barrier/transversal connectivity across railways. Our
results show that railway verges, contrary to common belief, can have positive effects
in anthropogenic landscapes for several taxa and communities. They can be habitats
for semi-natural grassland plants, bats and orthopteran. They provide functional
connectivity for some plants, but do not seem to increase it for highly mobile invasive
species in urban landscapes. Railways also seem to be weaker barriers than roads for
one butterfly species. We conclude by proposing a change in management practices,
stressing that extensive management coupled with small-scale revegetation processes, either artificial or natural, may help increase the positive effects of railway
verges and counteract the negative large-scale effects of urbanisation.
Keywords Habitat Á Corridor Á Barrier Á Agricultural landscape Á Urban landscape Á Bat Á Orthoptera Á Plant Á Butterfly Á Railway verges management
Introduction
Changes in land-use are important drivers of biodiversity loss (MEA 2005). Linear
infrastructures such as roads and railways play a particular role in this process by
altering, artificializing and fragmenting landscapes (see previous chapters).
J.-C. Vandevelde (&)
UMR 7204 (MNHN-CNRS-UPMC), Centre d’Ecologie et de Sciences
de la Conservation (CESCO), 43 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
e-mail: vandeveldejeanchristophe@gmail.com
C. Penone
Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern,
Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland
© The Author(s) 2017
L. Borda-de-Água et al. (eds.), Railway Ecology,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-57496-7_16
261