Students from Cranfield University have scooped a major award at the Mineral Products Association Quarries and Nature awards 2019 for their Group Project in collaboration with Tarmac.
The awards, which recognise achievements in restoration and biodiversity, are given to a range of industry and partner organisations to celebrate best practice.
The students who studied on the University’s Land Reclamation and Restoration MSc and Geographical Information Management MSc were given a special innovation award for 'trialling and evaluation of the Defra Biodiversity Metric 2.0 on sand and gravel quarries'.
The results of this project have contributed to the greater understanding of the positive impact habitat creation carried out by mineral companies and their partners have on the environment.
Dr Rob Simmons, Reader in Sustainable Soil Management at Cranfield University, who supervised the students along with Dr Lynda Deeks, said: “The students work was able for the first time to demonstrate the huge potential for biodiversity net gain in quarrying, operations”.
“This project builds on our longstanding relationship with Tarmac and shows the opportunities that students at Cranfield have to make a difference to the practices of some of the world’s leading companies.”
The successful students who scooped the Special Award for their project were: Blessing Adejoh, Anaïs Buatier, Sarah Davidson, Ryan Metz and Aidan Daniels.
A follow-on Group Project is already planned for 2020. In addition, Cranfield will run a Short Course on the application the Biodiversity Metric 2.0 for the mineral industry in the New Year.
The students’ award capped a great day for Cranfield at the awards ceremony with alumni from the Land Reclamation and Restoration MSc Aude Delmer and Enrique Moranmontero, now Tarmac Restoration Managers, among the winners of the prestigious Cooper-Heyman Cup.
