Murs Sanctuaires de Genève

To recognize their exceptionally rich biodiversity and with the aim to protect them from renovations, eight historical walls in Geneva have been named Sanctuary Walls. Over centuries, humus has developed on the walls and in its crevices, providing a foundation for mosses and lichens. This in turn has created a rich terrain for many insects and flowering plants. A group of researchers of the Conservatory and Botanical Garden of the city of Geneva found a large number of living organisms between the stones of the walls; one of these, the 500-year-old Mur de la Treille, is the habitat of 149 different species, counted in 2010. (Hinden 2014)

See also: lichens, Mur de la Treille, refugia, resurgence

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