Biodiversity Surveys Before Residential Building Renovations in Bulgaria with Emphasis on the Impact and Conservation of Building-Dwelling Fauna
The urbanization and the expansion of human settlements led to the adaptation of many animal species to living close to humans, often using buildings for roosting. Panel buildings are particularly attractive to rock-dwelling animals such as swifts, swallows, pigeons, and bats due to their numerous c...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| author | Stanimira Deleva Nikolay Kolev Angel Ivanov Pavlina Marinova Nasko Petkov Nikolay Natchev |
| author_facet | Stanimira Deleva Nikolay Kolev Angel Ivanov Pavlina Marinova Nasko Petkov Nikolay Natchev |
| author_sort | Stanimira Deleva |
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| description | The urbanization and the expansion of human settlements led to the adaptation of many animal species to living close to humans, often using buildings for roosting. Panel buildings are particularly attractive to rock-dwelling animals such as swifts, swallows, pigeons, and bats due to their numerous cracks and crevices. The abundance of these structures in Eastern Europe has led to the establishment of numerous bird and bat colonies in the cities. However, the recent renovation and insulation of these buildings, while beneficial to residents, threatens the roosts. Construction workers are sometimes unaware of animal presence and inadvertently destroy nests or colonies. Rapid assessments before renovation are essential to rescue individuals and ensure the planning of alternative roosts for bats and birds. We conducted a pilot survey of 61 residential buildings in five municipalities in Bulgaria: Razgrad, Popovo, Haskovo, Dimitrovgrad, and Bobov Dol, to assess bird and bat biodiversity. We performed field assessments using direct observation, thermal cameras, ultrasonic detection, sunset counts, and endoscopic cameras. The most commonly detected bird species were the house martin, barn swallow, common swifts, the Eurasian jackdaw, pigeons, and sparrows. The most commonly detected bat species were the common pipistrelle, noctule, and Kuhl’s pipistrelle. Additionally, we discuss the specifics of the “soviet-type” buildings as nesting facilities for pigeons and the impact of the pigeons on the “micro ecology” of the blocks. Our study aimed to guide conservation actions and awareness during the expanding renovation efforts of old buildings in Bulgaria. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2673-4133 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
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| series | Ecologies |
| spelling | doaj-art-4805c847768d40a0b6e810e931dbfda82025-08-20T02:11:25ZengMDPI AGEcologies2673-41332025-03-01612210.3390/ecologies6010022Biodiversity Surveys Before Residential Building Renovations in Bulgaria with Emphasis on the Impact and Conservation of Building-Dwelling FaunaStanimira Deleva0Nikolay Kolev1Angel Ivanov2Pavlina Marinova3Nasko Petkov4Nikolay Natchev5National Museum of Natural History-Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd 1, 1000 Sofia, BulgariaDepartment Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Shumen University, Universitetska Str. 115, 9700 Shumen, BulgariaNational Museum of Natural History-Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd 1, 1000 Sofia, BulgariaDepartment Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Shumen University, Universitetska Str. 115, 9700 Shumen, BulgariaDepartment Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Shumen University, Universitetska Str. 115, 9700 Shumen, BulgariaDepartment Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Shumen University, Universitetska Str. 115, 9700 Shumen, BulgariaThe urbanization and the expansion of human settlements led to the adaptation of many animal species to living close to humans, often using buildings for roosting. Panel buildings are particularly attractive to rock-dwelling animals such as swifts, swallows, pigeons, and bats due to their numerous cracks and crevices. The abundance of these structures in Eastern Europe has led to the establishment of numerous bird and bat colonies in the cities. However, the recent renovation and insulation of these buildings, while beneficial to residents, threatens the roosts. Construction workers are sometimes unaware of animal presence and inadvertently destroy nests or colonies. Rapid assessments before renovation are essential to rescue individuals and ensure the planning of alternative roosts for bats and birds. We conducted a pilot survey of 61 residential buildings in five municipalities in Bulgaria: Razgrad, Popovo, Haskovo, Dimitrovgrad, and Bobov Dol, to assess bird and bat biodiversity. We performed field assessments using direct observation, thermal cameras, ultrasonic detection, sunset counts, and endoscopic cameras. The most commonly detected bird species were the house martin, barn swallow, common swifts, the Eurasian jackdaw, pigeons, and sparrows. The most commonly detected bat species were the common pipistrelle, noctule, and Kuhl’s pipistrelle. Additionally, we discuss the specifics of the “soviet-type” buildings as nesting facilities for pigeons and the impact of the pigeons on the “micro ecology” of the blocks. Our study aimed to guide conservation actions and awareness during the expanding renovation efforts of old buildings in Bulgaria.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4133/6/1/22aveschiropteraengineeringconstructionsynanthropic speciesurban ecology |
| spellingShingle | Stanimira Deleva Nikolay Kolev Angel Ivanov Pavlina Marinova Nasko Petkov Nikolay Natchev Biodiversity Surveys Before Residential Building Renovations in Bulgaria with Emphasis on the Impact and Conservation of Building-Dwelling Fauna Ecologies aves chiroptera engineering construction synanthropic species urban ecology |
| title | Biodiversity Surveys Before Residential Building Renovations in Bulgaria with Emphasis on the Impact and Conservation of Building-Dwelling Fauna |
| title_full | Biodiversity Surveys Before Residential Building Renovations in Bulgaria with Emphasis on the Impact and Conservation of Building-Dwelling Fauna |
| title_fullStr | Biodiversity Surveys Before Residential Building Renovations in Bulgaria with Emphasis on the Impact and Conservation of Building-Dwelling Fauna |
| title_full_unstemmed | Biodiversity Surveys Before Residential Building Renovations in Bulgaria with Emphasis on the Impact and Conservation of Building-Dwelling Fauna |
| title_short | Biodiversity Surveys Before Residential Building Renovations in Bulgaria with Emphasis on the Impact and Conservation of Building-Dwelling Fauna |
| title_sort | biodiversity surveys before residential building renovations in bulgaria with emphasis on the impact and conservation of building dwelling fauna |
| topic | aves chiroptera engineering construction synanthropic species urban ecology |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4133/6/1/22 |
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