The LIFE Bats & Birds project aims to improve habitat and food availability for six endangered species. These include four bird species (the great gray shrike, the red-backed shrike, the little owl, and the Eurasian wryneck) and two bat species (the greater horseshoe bat and the Geoffroy's bat). All of these species depend on a landscape rich in structures and insects.
Over recent decades, the landscape has been farmed increasingly intensively, and structures such as hedges, orchards, and solitary trees have frequently disappeared. To improve these conditions, the project allows for the replanting of such structures and their maintenance when they are in poor condition. Habitats will thus be enhanced and better connected, making it easier for species to move from one habitat to another. The increased use of pesticides and excessive fertilization impoverish the agricultural landscape; flowering plants and insects are disappearing from fields and meadows, leaving only a few species able to find a home there. Meadows are also increasingly being converted into crops, leading to the disappearance of further habitats.
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