Costain has been appointed to undertake two major biodiversity studies for Manchester Airports Group (MAG), supporting the aviation operator's environmental commitments across Manchester Airport and East Midlands Airport.

The infrastructure solutions company will help establish a detailed, qualitative biodiversity baseline for both sites, underpinning MAG’s new Sustainability Strategy and its wider nature targets as it plans for future growth.

Costain's sustainability and geographic information systems (GIS) specialists will carry out extensive physical and digital surveys spanning more than 1,500 hectares of grassland, ponds, scrubland and urban habitats. The work includes recording habitat areas, types and conditions, while GIS experts will assess the biodiversity value of each site in line with the statutory UK biodiversity metric set by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.

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Furah Naeem, principal aviation consultant at Costain, commented: "Costain is committed to creating a more sustainable future for the UK by implementing nature-positive initiatives that enhance biodiversity and delivering low carbon solutions that reduce emissions across the infrastructure ecosystem.

"All of our projects have a biodiversity net gain plan, and we’re bringing our skills and experience to help MAG understand the biodiversity baseline at two of its major airports. We have a strong track record of managing biodiversity projects and utilising GIS platforms across a range of sectors, and we will use this experience to support MAG's sustainability ambitions."