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Lafarge quarry wins BTO award

LAFARGE Aggregates’ Dry Rigg Quarry, near Settle, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, has picked up a prestigious award in the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Business Bird Challenge competition, which showcases the country’s best industrial and commercial sites for birds. The site was judged the winner in the conservation category for dry quarries.

Commenting on the award, David Park, northern regional manager for Lafarge Aggregates, said: ‘Lafarge considers biodiversity over the full life cycle of quarrying. We have developed a Biodiversity Management System (BMS)…drawing together all biodiversity issues under one cover, to make implementation, recording, monitoring, reporting and auditing much easier.’

Active management of water levels and the creation of suitable habitat have made the site attractive to migrant and breeding birds. Furthermore, the expansion of the restored area has led to the successful breeding of species, including Lapwings, Redshanks, Snipes, Oyster Catchers, Carrion Crows and Moorhens.

 

Meanwhile, great crested newts have colonized the site’s sensitively restored lake – the first official record of the species in the National Park, and the number present at Dry Rigg makes the population of regional and national significance.

Mr Park said: ‘We are extremely fortunate at Dry Rigg because the whole project team is passionate about wildlife and biodiversity – and this award recognizes their engagement and hard work in establishing Dry Rigg as an exceptional site for wildlife.’

 

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