Everybody benefits from the reconstruction of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris! The stunning restoration from extensive fire damage to this iconic building has brought back to life a loved historic treasure, a home for protected species and a haven for biodiversity.
From the Middle Ages, when Notre-Dame cathedral was under construction, until the fire in 2019 which ravaged the interior and exterior of the building, this treasured cathedral had a parallel life to its religious and cultural presence by being a refuge for nesting birds and bats whose natural nesting sites were becoming diminished by the expansion and modernization of the city. Among these residents were Common Kestrels whose Parisian population was down to less than 30 pairs, House Sparrows, whose populations had dropped 75% in 20 years, and tiny pipistrelle bats who are adept at keeping insect populations down.
La Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO), Birdlife International’s partner in France, worked closely with the construction staff to help integrate environmental needs into the plans. All the wildlife left the building after the fire, but as restoration efforts began, the wild residents returned looking for the places they had grown accustomed to use for shelter and nesting. LPO trained the workers to identify and protect the wildlife while naturalists from LPO monitored those returning. LPO’s work with the construction teams has proven successful with wildlife returning to their homes as the work completes.
Cathedrals are important nesting and shelter areas for birds and wildlife everywhere, and LPO has partnered with other buildings to ensure these locations with architectural styles that are friendly to wildlife persist to serve all their purposes.
For more information, read this article from BirdLife.