Spanish LaLiga football club FC Barcelona has claimed a first with the publication of a biodiversity guide detailing the array of wildlife that lives throughout its facilities.
The ‘Guía de la Biodiversidad del FC en Les Corts’ details that 34 different species live within the facilities in the Les Corts district of Barcelona, including Spotify Camp Nou.
“We haven’t been able to find any other guide of this type, at least we don’t know of any other big club that has published a biodiversity manual like this one,” Jordi Portabella, director of FC Barcelona’s sustainability department, told Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia.
With Barcelona deep into the Espai Barça project that is revamping its facilities, Portabella explained how the club has wanted to go beyond the legal imperatives on the protection of animals and is applying measures to promote biodiversity. This has included the installation of strips or shelves to encourage bird life, and the production of the new guide.
Portabella said the works planned in the Camp Nou have previous studies and measures to be applied during their execution, “not only so that the animals have the minimum impacts, but so that they can continue to live normally”.
The guide outlines that some 31 species of birds, two reptiles and one mammal call the club’s facilities home. Each of the animals, which include the peregrine falcon and alpine swift, are assigned a dedicated section in the guide.
This includes information on the animal, its location or activity in the venue, and at what time of the year it can be observed.
Barcelona this month appointed Turkish company Limak Construction to carry out the redevelopment of its Camp Nou stadium, with work scheduled to begin in June following the conclusion of the 2022-23 season.
Barcelona will spend the 2023-24 season at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys while the Camp Nou undergoes major renovation work. The revamp forms part of the club’s wider Espai Barça project, which also includes the delivery of a new Palau Blaugrana arena and the wide-ranging Campus Barça development.
The capacity of the Camp Nou will increase from 98,000 to 105,000 as part of the revamp.
