Donegal County Council has helped produce a new video which highlights the importance of the built environment for wildlife and celebrates the species which have adapted to live alongside us and share our homes.
The nature documentary also highlights the measures that we can take to ensure we make space for nature and showcases some of our most iconic wildlife species which are reliant on buildings for their survival.
BirdWatch Ireland and CrowCrag Productions produced this feature to raise awareness of the importance of buildings for many of our wildlife, in partnership with Donegal County Council.
Breaking down the barriers that only people live in buildings, and wildlife lives in “nature”, this video illustrates that for as long as people have built structures for protection and shelter, wildlife has taken advantage of these buildings for the very same reasons.
John Lusby, BirdWatch Ireland, said, “At a time when retrofitting of buildings is proposed at large scale to tackle climate change, and we are losing many of our older stone structures, we wanted to highlight the importance of buildings for wildlife and to create a better link between our built environment and our natural heritage – as the two are intertwined.
“The diversity of species which use buildings and the ways in which they have adapted to use the built environment are astonishing. As the built environment is constantly changing, we need to make sure that we avoid disturbance to sensitive species and also to continue to provide space for wildlife in buildings, which has benefits for wildlife as well as ourselves.
“We hope that this video increases awareness and appreciation of the importance of the built environment for wildlife and provides the necessary information to help conserve some of our most vulnerable and iconic wildlife which are dependent on buildings for their survival.”
Certain species are expected residents within our buildings, and for some the association with buildings is apparent even from their names, such as the ‘House Martin’ which builds its mud nest in the apex of the roof of occupied houses, and the ‘Barn Swallow’ which nest in farmyards throughout the country.
The vision of a Barn Owl floating silently from a ruined castle at dusk may seem familiar, but less expected occupants may be a pair of Kestrels nesting in a flower box outside a busy kitchen window, or a female Pine Marten raising her kits in the roof space of an occupied dwelling. Of course, much of the wildlife which use buildings go unnoticed, such as bats roosting in the attic of a house in which the inhabitants beneath remain blissfully unaware of their presence.
Given the importance of buildings for wildlife, changes to the built environment can affect wildlife associated with it. Wildlife in buildings can often be harmed during works due to a lack of awareness of their presence or indeed knowledge of how plan renovations and works in order to avoid disturbance, which is almost always possible.
The loss of old stone structures due to demolition, dilapidation or renovation is linked to declines in species such as Barn Owl and Swift, which are dependent on these structures. Modern buildings do not provide the same opportunities for wildlife.
However, there is a lot that we can do to improve modern buildings for wildlife to ensure that we continue to make space for nature.
‘Wildlife in Buildings: linking our built and natural heritage’ was produced by BirdWatch Ireland, Kerry County Council and Donegal County Council, with funding from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage through the National Biodiversity Action Plan Fund.
