The City’s pledge for nature
The City of Lille has been active for over 20 years in preserving biodiversity, for example with the conduct of ecological management of green spaces since 2001, a biodiversity restoration program in 2005, the development of a ‘no phytosanitary products’ plan in 2008, and a Biodiversity plan in 2011.
This plan comprises of several complementary pillars, such as a good knowledge of our biodiversity as well as transmitting that knowledge to the public. It also includes the ecological management of green spaces, commitments to research, as well as a shared governance.
In the Citadel in particular, this plan results in an ecological management of the environment, and in emblematic measures contributing to the protection of biodiversity and the restoration of environments. Read some examples of those measures below:
Best practices in planting and ecological management
Eco-pasture : On trial since 2007, the practice of ‘eco-pasturing’ allows for the protection of some of the flora that wouldn’t resist to mechanical mowing, as well as the species of insects that rely on those flowers.
Eco-pasturing also contributes to support coprophagous species feeding off of cows’, sheep’s or horses’ excrements.
Meadows: The City sows meadows in several areas of the park, such as in the Sports plain in 2022 with a meadow of poppies and cornflowers.
The meadows have different objectives for different species: they can be a refuge for some insects, contribute to pollination, and can create adequate conditions for species of bees that live underground.
Planting choices: The planting of some varieties of flora can contribute to the protection or amelioration of living conditions for some species of birds, insects or even mammals in the park. For example, hazel trees have been planted to provide resources for red squirrels, and alder buckthorn was planted because the caterpillar of the common brimstone almost exclusively feed off of this plant. Water lily sea grass beds have been created specifically for the goblet-marked damselfly.
Ecologial restoration of natural environments
The creation, restoration and protection of ponds: there are over twenty ponds in the park today which are home to some of the fauna such as dragonflies and amphibians. Community volunteering projects can contribute to the restoration or creation of those precious environments!
Riverbank restoration: soil erosion can damage the riverbanks and be detrimental to the biodiversity living in them. Their restoration and the creation of a gentler slope make it possible to green them and to limit the erosion risk. The work on riverbanks has for example allowed for the creation of nesting sites for the kingfisher.
Clearing of the fortification walls: some trees on top of the fortification walls are not firmly secured and can damage the walls if they topple over. Their fallen leaves can also deteriorate the water quality: they favour the development of bacteria and the proliferation of duckweed.
The clearing of the fortification walls is also an opportunity to restore their historical flora such as the cowslip primrose. Sheep and goat herds also contribute to this development.
The creation of shelters, nest boxes and sanctuaries
The City creates many shelters and nest boxes for the park’s fauna: the undergrounds have been adjusted to allow for bats to hibernate, and squirrel rope bridges are going to be installed between the trees above the Deûle canal. They will allow squirrels to safely cross dangerous zones and roads.
Shelters are also created with dead wood: it can provide a refuge for insects and small mammals. Dead wood can be preserved in different forms: when left standing, dead tree trunks are useful for the great spotted woodpecker which digs cavities that are, in turn, useful for other birds, insects or bats. When dead wood is left on the ground in piles, it can be used as a shelter for hedgehogs, stone martens or garden dormice.
The fight against light pollution
The LUCIOLE project : Supported by the European Union, the project’s objective is to restore biodiversity in the park while also improving the quality of lighting for visitors. The project was deployed in 2017.
The lights constantly adapt to preserve the natural habitat of bats and moths, while also ensuring the security of users thanks to optimal settings. This means, for instance, that lights are linked to a movement detector with a timer, but also that the temperature of lighting is adjusted to reduce the impact on bats.
The system makes use of state of the art technology, with remote management. It is implemented in the main alleys around the park.
Knowledge research
The City keeps track of the biodiversity through regular biodiversity surveys: amphibans are tracked annually, bats’ hibernations are monitored, and the population of dragonflies or kingfishers are followed closely.
Gardeners contribute to this knowledge library by conducting butterfly surveys and meadow surveys. These surveys are esential to know our biodiversity better and inform action plans to protect it.
Partnerships with regional universities are also regularly established (University of Lille, Catholic institute of Lille, University of Mons…) on specific research subjects such as the study of pollinating insects, the biodiversity of urban spaces, part-night lighting schemes, etc. Consultants also contribute to the work of research on the local biodiversity.
