Two gray boxes have been enthroned since early June at the top of a mound just next to Périgueux station. One very thin, the other bigger and thicker. The symbol drawn above gives a clue as to their usefulness: they are bat nesting boxes. They have been installed in what will be the business district of Grand Périgueux in a few years.
The two nesting boxes can house up to 130 bats
Work on this huge project has already started, first with the destruction of buildings. They were just the original bats’ home. Since then, the Grand Périgueux had the obligation to offer them a new roof. These two nesting boxes are also an exception throughout the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. No other is so big.
The smaller of the two nesting boxes can accommodate up to thirty small mammals, the larger one a hundred. “But in reality, we don’t know how many there will be, admits Bruno Dalongeville, who made the houses with his association Les Enfants du pays de Beleyme. If they wish to come back, they have something to shelter and rest. And hunt “.
A space of half a hectare left to biodiversity
In this future business district, half a hectare will be left as it is, without any development. “It will be reserved for biodiversity. This will allow _the presence of insects, which are also the food of bats_“, says Maxime Cosson, director of the Dordogne branch of the Conservatory of natural spaces in New Aquitaine. On this space, shelters for reptiles, lizards must also be installed.
As for the business district itself, work on part of the buildings is due to start in September. The end is scheduled for 2023.
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