Le Figaro Lyon
To discover
Follow all the news of the city of Lyon
Despite their poetic name, house swallows have a much more prosaic fate.
Their population has fallen by a third in the French sky over the last decade, as underlined by a deliberation proposed for the vote of the next metropolitan council of Greater Lyon this Monday, March 27.
The environmentalist executive wants to halt this decline, which climbs to 41% for barn swallows and 40% for black swifts, thanks to a safeguard plan presented by the vice-president in charge of the environment, Pierre Athanaze (EELV) .
Protected for nearly half a century, these species are suffering from the scarcity of their exclusive food: insects, whose biomass has dropped by 80% in 30 years.
"The massive use of pesticides which, in addition to reducing the number of insects, can also poison the birds"
, does not help, specifies the deliberation.
A life that is definitely not easy since these migratory species are also
“hunted in their winter quarters”
.
Read alsoThe Council of State again judges several traditional bird hunts “illegal”
Nesting boxes and mud traps
To promote the return of swallows to Lyon, the Metropolis wants in particular to allow them to nest more easily, while modern buildings offer fewer hiding places to nest there.
And thus participate in the conservation of species,
“by directly improving the carrying capacity of urban and peri-urban landscapes
.
The community promises concrete actions, such as the installation of nesting boxes for example or the installation of mud pits.
Municipalities, players in environmental protection but also in building and housing... around thirty players have already taken part in discussions with a view to drawing up this plan, which should be adopted by the environmentalist majority.
Its animation will be entrusted to the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO), which will also aim to improve knowledge of the species in order to inform and raise public awareness.
All for a budget of 120,000 euros over four years and a five-year evaluation of the system.
Better than a few crumbs on a balcony.
