Meeting Europe's renewable energy targets in harmony with - RSPB

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RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES AND ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABILITY 33 Ecological enhancements are often possible within wind farms. ● ● ● Timing construction to avoid sensitive periods. Implementing habitat enhancement for species using the site. Implementing an agreed post-construction monitoring programme through planning or licence conditions. At specific sites it may be necessary to prepare a site management plan designed to reduce or prevent harmful habitat changes following construction, and to provide habitat enhancement as appropriate (Drewitt and Langston, 2006). Offsite mitigation or compensation measures may be appropriate to reduce impacts (eg, through provision of alternative foraging areas to reduce collision risk or to accommodate displaced birds). Other measures that may be suitable in some circumstances include the relocation of proposed (or removal of existing) turbines associated with particular problems, halting operation during peak periods of activity or during migration, or reducing rotor speed. For birds with poor manoeuvrability such as griffon vultures, however, it may be that slow rotation speed remains a problem because the associated low wind speed makes flight avoidance more difficult. Enhancement Some habitat changes might be beneficial to wildlife, for example changes in land management that enhance particular sites for certain species (providing they are not at increased collision risk, which could outweigh the benefit). Opportunities for enhancement in respect of onshore wind energy generating projects should only be explored after all significant adverse impacts on biodiversity have
34 MEETING EUROPE’S RENEWABLE ENERGY TARGETS IN HARMONY WITH NATURE been removed through negotiation, or through mitigation or, as a last resort, compensation. There is potential to carry out enhancement measures on land which is under the direct or indirect control of the developer, and which may be inside the project boundary. Onshore wind is particularly suited to an “enhancement” approach, for the following reasons: 1 Most major projects are located in either upland or coastal locations, in the remote countryside. These are also the areas which are most likely to contain substantive wildlife resources. They thus have the most potential to be the recipients of enhancement measures because the enhancement builds upon existing resources. 2 The physical footprint of such projects is relatively small, compared with the size of the project, which means that there is great potential to carry out enhancement measures on land which is under the direct or indirect control of the developer, and which may well be actually inside the “development boundary”. Measures such as control of grazing regimes, control of hydrology and conifer (or other exotic tree-species) removal can improve, restore or create upland or coastal habitats of acknowledged biodiversity importance. Offsite ecological enhancements are also a possibility. Developers of many kinds of infrastructure sometimes provide incentives to local communities. This is sometimes in the form of funding for amenities such as sports facilities or school equipment. BirdLife recommends that creating new wildlife-rich areas, or helping improve existing ones, is an excellent way to benefit communities. Access to green space that is rich in wildlife has been found to be good for people’s physical and mental wellbeing (Diaz et al., 2006; Barton and Pretty, 2010), and provides local schools with opportunities for educational experiences. 2.4 OFFSHORE WIND POWER Although more costly than their terrestrial counterparts, offshore wind farms have a number of advantages. Winds at sea tend to be stronger and more consistent, and weighty turbine components are more easily transported at sea, permitting larger turbines to be constructed. In addition, offshore wind farms typically encounter less resistance from local communities. However, the costs of installation at sea are greater than those on land, so larger installations are usually proposed. Some major differences with onshore development are the greater scale and pace at which offshore wind farms are planned in some countries such as the UK, and the relatively poor availability of ecological survey data and incomplete networks of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Birds, fish and marine mammals may be disturbed or damaged by the construction of offshore wind farms, the movement and vibrations of operating turbines, and the activity of servicing craft. Once established, however, offshore wind farms have the potential to protect wildlife from other impacts, potentially providing safe havens for spawning fish, for example. Trawling, which is possibly the most severe threat to the marine environment, is prohibited or inhibited inside offshore wind farms. Risks to birds, mammals and fish can be classified in the same way as those for onshore wind turbines, ie, disturbance/displacement, collision and habitat loss. Pollution and indirect impacts associated with construction and operations may also present risks.
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Page 3 and 4: Meeting Europe’s Renewable Energy
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HOW TO ACHIEVE A EUROPEAN RENEWABLE
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BOX 27 Bird sensitivity mapping in
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This Chapter provides an evaluation
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TABLE 4 BirdLife Partners’ evalua
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RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NATIONAL AND EU
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REFERENCES 129 Daunt, F. (2006) Mar
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REFERENCES 131 Lonsdale, D., Pautas
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ENDNOTES 133 ENDNOTES i Chris Huhne
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Birdlife European and Central Asian
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Meeting Europe's renewable energy targets in harmony with - RSPB

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