INSTALLATION of thermal insulation on Slovakia’s older buildings is commonly done without any regard to the bats which tend to nest and dwell within the holes and crevices of many buildings. But bats and their living areas are protected by law, the head of the Society for Protection of Bats (SON), Martin Ceľuch, told the SITA newswire, adding that hundreds of bats are killed every day because of inattentive insulation work.
If a construction company is aware of any animal protected by law it is obliged to inform the Construction Office and the appropriate public environmental body. The construction company must take measures for protection of the animals until the due body issues a decision. Also, if residents of a building know about the dwellings of bats or other legally-protected animals they should notify the state body in charge.
“As information about how to solve problems with bats are not readily available, SON prepared a project aimed at training construction firms, designers and architects as well as government officials on how to proceed,” Ceľuch said, as quoted by SITA. The two-year project started at the beginning of this year and is supported by the German foundation Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt with more than €32,000. SON has also prepared leaflets and brochures about this issue.
The Slovak government wants to support and encourage the insulation of older buildings but the dangerous way in which it is currently being done is threatening bats, said SON.
