With its green spaces and biotopes, the OTH Regensburg campus offers a variety of habitats and contributes to a high quality of life on campus. Through additional bird protection measures, the university is now ensuring that people and nature on campus are brought into even greater harmony with one another.
The reason for this renewed award from the LBV is the installation of further bird-safe glass surfaces on the glass sections of the canteen and the mechanical engineering building. Special patterns on the glass surfaces make these obstacles – which would otherwise be difficult for birds to spot – visible, thereby preventing collisions. Dr Peter Stimmler, project manager for the LBV’s Bird Strike Project, highlighted just how important such measures are. Glass surfaces pose a major risk to birds. At the same time, the proportion of glass in modern buildings is steadily increasing. This makes it all the more important to take this issue into account right from the planning, construction and renovation stages. A significant impact can often be achieved using relatively simple means.
OTH Regensburg takes on environmental responsibility
“For us, bird conservation is not a one-off project, but part of a comprehensive approach to sustainability. Through concrete measures on campus, we are demonstrating that environmental responsibility and modern university development go hand in hand,” says Prof. Dr Christoph Skornia, Vice-President for Sustainability. The protection of biodiversity is an important component of the university’s sustainability strategy. This strategy is being continuously developed and implemented through specific projects on campus.
Utto Spielbauer, Chancellor of OTH Regensburg, praised the commitment of all those involved and thanked in particular those who have championed the cause over many years. Special thanks went to Petra Faldum, safety engineer at OTH Regensburg, who has long been involved in the issue of bird protection and has provided important impetus for its implementation. The university management also thanked Lenz Franzke, Head of the Green Office, the Regensburg State Building Authority, represented by Stefan Krabatsch and Elke von Markreither, and all other those involved.
Bird strikes can be significantly reduced
The effectiveness of the protective measures has been confirmed by the results of a monitoring programme lasting more than a year, as Petra Faldum explained. As part of the LBV project ‘Bird Strikes on Glass Facades’, a volunteer expert monitored the glass surfaces on campus. This revealed that special glass textures and bird-protection films with certified patterns significantly reduce the number of bird collisions. Studies show a reduction in the risk of collision of over 90 per cent – a figure that was also reflected in the investigations on campus.
Petra Faldum emphasised that bird protection on glass surfaces is one of the most effective species conservation measures of all. The measures can be implemented quickly, have an immediate effect and significantly reduce bird collisions. The comparatively low cost involved is particularly favourable in relation to the benefits achieved for species conservation.
The LBV’s award now also highlights the success of the measures. A plaque with a QR code provides information on the project and the importance of bird-safe glass surfaces to interested parties directly on site. By scanning the QR code, interested parties can find out more about the ‘Vogelschlag’ project, which is funded by the Bavarian Nature Conservation Fund. The website address is www.lbv.de/vogelschlag.
For OTH Regensburg, the award also serves as an incentive to continue along this path and to bring sustainability in all its facets to life on campus.
