| Effects of Wind Turbines on Bird Abundance |
What is the aim
of the review?
To systematically collate and synthesise published and unpublished
evidence in order to examine the impacts of wind turbines on bird
abundance. To achieve this, four questions were addressed:
- Do wind turbines affect bird abundance?
- Are some bird taxon more vulnerable than others?
- Does the number or power of turbines in a windfarm
installation have an impact on the effect of windfarms on
bird abundance?
- Can any other ecological factors or windfarm
characteristics be identified which have an impact on the
effect of windfarms on bird abundance?
Who's in the review team?
At what stage is the review?
This review is now complete.
What is the rationale?
Wind energy is seen as a key element of the shift
to sustainable energy supplies in many western countries and is
set to make a significant contribution to their generation capacity.
The UK Government has set a target to generate 10% of the UK’s
electricity from renewable sources of energy by 2010. There are
currently 1060 turbines in 83 wind energy installations, and many
more with planning consent.
Wind farm locations are often important
and sensitive wildlife habitats and wind energy developments may
therefore have potentially deleterious impacts on wildlife, including
bird species. Recent attention has been given to the possible
effects on bird populations caused by displacement and collision
mortality, and there is a need for a systematic evaluation of
impacts.
Question formulation was an iterative
process involving RSPB and the Centre for Evidence-Based Conservation.
How were the results
obtained?
A number of electronic databases were searched for information
using a range of search terms. Internet searches were conducted
in order to retrieve any relevant grey literature. In addition,
the RSPB library was hand-searched for additional references,
as were bibliographies of relevant articles. Recognised experts
and current practitioners in the fields of applied avian ecology
and renewable energy technology were contacted. Foreign language
searches were undertaken to ensure that the scope of the review
was truly global.
What
did the review find?
To read more about this review, its findings, and the implications for conservationists and researchers, please see the Summary or Full Report.
Comments?
If you would like to comment on any aspect of this review, please email us. Your feedback is appreciated.
|
