Estepona to install 150 nesting boxes for bats and nocturnal raptors

Costa del Sol

The council aims to control the mosquito population in urban and peri-urban areas of the town

José Carlos García

Estepona

Estepona council is installing 150 nesting boxes for bats and small nocturnal birds of prey in different urban and peri-urban areas of the town ... as a means of achieving a balance in urban ecosystems. The initiative is part of the project promoted by the Sierra Bermeja naturalist group Grunsber, which had already been started and has now been extended.

Grunsber said that bats play a crucial role in biological control of beaches, as they are large consumers of insects. In fact, a single bat can ingest up to 150 mosquitoes a day, which helps to naturally reduce the presence of nuisance species that are potentially harmful to public health. The group explained that all bat species are protected by state and European legislation due to their ecological importance and the decline of their populations in many natural environments.

The European scops owl is the smallest of nocturnal birds of prey and is also considered a vulnerable species according to the 'red book of Spanish birds' (2021). It is also beneficial for human communities as it is a great predator of insects, as its diet is mainly based on invertebrates of considerable size, such as moths, crickets, grasshoppers and cockroaches, among others.

Environmental education

The nest boxes were the focus of an environmental education session held on Tuesday, with the participation of pupils from the CEIP Federico García Lorca.school. The pupils received information about the environmental importance of bats and other birds of prey, as well as the fundamental role they play in the balance of urban ecosystems. Subsequently, they were able to see how the nest boxes are installed alongside representatives of the naturalist group and municipal environmental technicians.

The council said, "This project reinforces our commitment to the conservation of biodiversity and environmental awareness among young people, promoting actions that favour the coexistence between wildlife and the urban environment."