Protected Daubenton's bats halt demolition of Maurin parish house in Nokia

Work to demolish the long-empty Maurin parish house in Nokia was halted this spring after protected bats were discovered, YLE reported. Demolition was stopped while authorities investigate.

Parish investigations uncovered large amounts of droppings identified as belonging to Daubenton's bats, suggesting the building has served as a breeding and resting site for decades. Ville Lehtonen, the parish finance director, said the building, which stands next to a cemetery and is in poor condition, poses a safety risk. The parish has not yet applied for the special exception permit required to remove the roost.

Under the Nature Conservation Act, the Permit and Supervisory Authority (LVV) must issue a special exception permit before destroying or degrading breeding and resting sites of protected species. LVV records show permit requests related to bats have risen sharply, with 173 applications since 2015 and 49 so far this year. Saija Porramo, a senior inspector in LVV's nature protection unit, said the increase largely reflects greater awareness. She added that carrying out ecological surveys early in project planning can prevent costly delays when bats are discovered late in the process.