Here's a link to a project to establish bat houses in London:
http://www.bathouseproject.org/
"A collaboration between Turner Prize winner Jeremy Deller and partners,
the project aims to highlight “the potential for architects, builders,
home-owners and conservationists to work together to produce
wildlife-friendly building design” and connect “the worlds of art and
ecology to encourage public engagement with ecology issues.” And one way
of achieving their goal is to sponsor a competition. Entrants are tasked
to design “a purpose-built structure that will provide the maximum
diversity of specialised features to attract roosting, breeding and
hibernating bats, and the possibility for visitors to engage with the
bats and learn more about them.” "
And another point about biodiversity in cities; the devastating effects
of _cats_ upon urban bird life:
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/mg19426086.400-cats-could-be-scaring-birds-out-of-our-cities.html
"ARE cats frightening birds so much that they don't breed? Andy
Beckerman and colleagues from the University of Sheffield, UK, think
fear of cats may explain the ongoing fall in urban bird numbers.Many
accusatory fingers point to the cat, and in areas of high cat density,
predation may indeed be the sole reason for the decline. It might not be
cats' only effect, however. Beckerman's team built a model that took
both kills and the fear factor into account, and found that apprehension
could explain the decrease even where predation is low. A reduction of
just one chick per breeding pair per year per cat can lead to a fall in
bird numbers of up to 95 per cent (Animal Conservation, DOI:
10.1111/j.1469-1795.2007.00115.x)."
----
You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the
list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see
<http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
