Draft National Wind Farm Development Guidelines - July 2010

turbines. Offshore wind farms are not currently envisaged for Australia and the present
Guidelines relate only to onshore wind farms.
The most appropriate means to manage for potential alienation effects on birds and bats
is to site turbines with adequate buffer distances from focal habitat resources for key
species. Focal resources will be features such as known or potential nesting microhabitats
for raptors, wetlands or mudflats routinely used by aggregations of shorebirds, etc.
Determination of what constitutes a suitable buffer distance is likely to be species-specific
and dependent on individual characters of habitat and topography of the site. For some
species that use particular and identifiable resources, such as breeding on wetlands with
defined characteristics, home-range or territory mapping may provide an indication of the
minimum zones that should be retained free of turbines and other infrastructure. A further
radius will generally be required beyond the minimum home-range as a buffer from
disturbance. Limited investigation of appropriate buffer distances from turbines has been
undertaken in Europe, but empirical evidence for Australian species is not currently
available. Wherever feasible and relevant, buffer distances between turbines and focal
resources should be applied in design of the wind farm layout. For the present,
determination of adequate buffer distances to reduce or eliminate disturbance and/or
alienation for particular species should rely on expert opinion. Taking a precautionary
approach, it will be better to err on the side of larger buffer distances based on such
opinion. This approach is also likely to minimise risks of collision with turbines (see also
Assessment of any reduction or mitigation of impacts that can be achieved, page 128).
In general, migration by birds and bats is geographically diffuse in Australia and there are
few known locations through which heavy aggregations of flying birds or bats are
‘funnelled’ (for instance between the closest peninsulas of adjacent land masses; passes
through mountain chains; and narrow corridors between mountains and the coast).
Dense concentrations of fruit bats do occur in northern Australia en route to and from their
camps and where island colonies may cross the coast. Similar concentrations of cavedwelling
bats also occur in proximity to relevant caves. Inappropriately sited wind farms
could pose barriers to passage of birds and bats at locations where such concentrations
occur. Initial site selection and project feasibility phases should identify and investigate
such locations and, if studies indicate that a wind farm might create a barrier effect or
present a collision risk (see below) at such locations, consideration should be given to
excluding them from further consideration as wind farm sites.
Assessments for direct or indirect loss of habitat for birds and bats should be carried out
using methods applicable to other fauna and are not considered further in these
Guidelines.
Preliminary assessment of potential for turbine collisions by key species
Principal question:
Purpose:
Methods:
Does potential exist for impacts on key species due to interactions with
turbines
To undertake a preliminary, qualitative evaluation of the potential for risk to
exist, determine the necessity for further phases of assessment, and scope any
such investigations.
For this stage, the studies will include:
• qualitative assessments and opinions
• pilot surveys
This final component of the scoping process entails a qualitative evaluation of the
potential for interactions by key bird and bat taxa with turbines to occur based on the
preceding preliminary evaluation of whether key species use the site. (The term ‘collision’ is
Draft National Wind Farm Development Guidelines – 2 July 2010 Page 123