The bulk of the rehabilitation work, organised into three phases, was carried out from January to March 2024. First, all of the asphalt, along with the concrete curbs and gutters and any remaining furniture, was removed to unseal the soil, and the level ground was reshaped with sloping contours. Next, organic soil was spread and meadows and wetlands were created. In the fall of 2024, local species were planted.
Restore green spaces and create ecological corridors
In environments that have been highly disturbed by human activities (areas of intensive farming, for example), green spaces along motorways provide refuges for biodiversity. To strengthen and promote this role, fencing may be placed closer to motorways to enlarge the area serving as a refuge. In the 30,000 hectares of land along its motorways, VINCI Autoroutes has identified more than 200 green spaces for potential regeneration. The company asked France’s National Forest Office (ONF) to identify local biodiversity and make recommendations to enhance it. Through a partnership signed in February 2022, the ONF provides the expertise and synergy needed to roll out emblematic regeneration programmes more widely. VINCI Autoroutes follows the ONF’s specifications in its ecological restoration projects carried out with local stakeholders.
Several VINCI Concessions assets have also developed projects to restore surrounding green spaces, such as the Wild Meadows project in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Launched by Via Pribina in 2021, the project was developed with local biodiversity experts and Comenius University in Bratislava and involved sowing a diverse mix of native species along the expressway. Benefits of the project include creating vital habitats for invertebrates and pollinators, reducing the need for grass mowing or repairs, and preventing ground movement and the resulting potential damage to infrastructure. This is an example of sustainable land management that can be reproduced in a range of environments. After being tested on the R1 in Slovakia, the solution was implemented by the Via Salis concession in the Czech Republic over a larger expanse (48 km of wild grassland along the motorway). In the United States, the Ohio River Bridges – East End Crossing concession launched a similar project.
Implementing ecological engineering solutions to preserve and restore biodiversity
Environmental engineering has developed into a branch of engineering in its own right and can be applied to preserve natural environments. VINCI Construction has developed a specific range of solutions for its customers and brings its ecological engineering expertise to highly specialised projects to guarantee long-term efficiency. These solutions support VINCI’s commitment no. 4 to the act4nature international initiative, “Develop our capacity to restore natural environments and support our customers”.
Under the Equo Vivo brand, VINCI Construction carries out all types of ecological engineering work dedicated to restoring biodiversity and implementing ecological development projects. These projects meet three main objectives: maintaining and restoring ecological connectivity, hydromorphic restoration and site rehabilitation. This know-how comes from a deep understanding of earthworks, levelling operations, river hydraulics, plant-based engineering and the management of plant species (including the control of invasive non-native plant species). In 2024 Equo Vivo helped to restore land along the Mosson river and wetlands in Lavérune and Saint-Jean-de-Védas. Océlian (VINCI Construction) participated in restoration work on the Bienne river at Morez. The work aims to restore ecological continuity across two weirs, improve the flow and overflow of the Bienne and enable residents to re-engage with the river.
Developing nature-based solutions in urban environments
Beginning at the design phase, VINCI Construction works to reintegrate the important role of nature into cities and buildings through its Revilo® solution. It incorporates urban cool islands into development projects using four levers: rainwater management, a vegetation layer, soil permeability and urban surfaces that allow water to infiltrate. In 2024, the solution was rolled out at several worksites, including the car park for a hypermarket in Trélissac. VINCI Construction’s experts also set up a consulting structure, Urbalia, to help urban planners and construction companies integrate biodiversity into their designs for the city of the future.
In 2024, VINCI carried out a study to identify the impacts, risks and opportunities of its activities (see paragraph 2.6.1, “Identification of material impacts, risks and opportunities”, page 228).
To assess the vulnerability of its sites with respect to biodiversity-sensitive areas and key biodiversity areas, VINCI uses the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT), which has been integrated into its internal ResiLens tool. IBAT is an alliance between BirdLife International, the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Conservation International. It is a biodiversity data provider licensing commercial access to global biodiversity datasets and derived data layers, the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and the World Database of Key Biodiversity Areas (WDKBA). VINCI has identified the following biodiversity-sensitive areas: Natura 2000 protected areas, Ramsar sites, state-specific protected areas, Unesco MAB programme biosphere reserves, Unesco World Heritage Sites, and IUCN protected areas in categories I to III. IUCN categories I to III aim to protect the ecological integrity of natural ecosystems and processes. Category IV includes sites in which regular management measures are required to conserve and, as needed, restore species or habitats. Category V protects lived-in working and cultural landscapes, which include, for example, farms and other forms of land use, such as France’s regional nature parks. Category VI applies to areas with sustainable use of natural resources, mainly to benefit local populations.
Its analyses showed that less than 1% of the Group’s fixed sites (quarries, plants, offices, airports, linear infrastructure) are located in or near IUCN category I to III protected areas, Natura 2000 protected areas, Ramsar sites, state-specific protected areas, Unesco MAB programme biosphere reserves or Unesco World Heritage Sites. Approximately 7% of fixed sites, mainly motorways, are located in or near Natura 2000 protected areas. And about 5% of fixed sites are located in or near key biodiversity areas.
