Castle Cement: Promoting biodiversity, creating habitats

During the planning phase for the expansion of the Ketton quarry in the United Kingdom, ecological studies showed that the location was favourable for the development of bat colonies. Castle Cement therefore created an artificial, 63-metre-long bat cavern in the vicinity of the quarry.

The tunnel was constructed using limestone blocks from the quarry and covered with a three-metre-thick protective layer made from limestone, clay and soil. Various species of bat have now colonized the new site. Castle Cement has also created new habitats for the flora. In the Ribblesdale and Ketton quarries, seed-rich grass cuttings from the surrounding area were introduced onto the recultivated land, specifically encouraging limestone grasslands. This type of grassland, rich in flowers and insects, has become rare in the United Kingdom as a result of the intensification of agriculture. Castle Cement’s former quarrying areas are managed by a local nature conservation organisation.