Draft National Wind Farm Development Guidelines - July 2010

construction phase are identified during planning of the facility, they must be fully
encompassed in assessments required as part of the assessment process.
D.4.5 Operations
Some degree of verification of the impacts predicted in the assessment documentation
should be undertaken irrespective of the level of impact. Where significant impacts on key
species are anticipated it is likely that investigation of actual impacts that occur in the
operational wind farm will be required as a condition of approval. Implementation of
management measures, including adaptive management, may also be required
depending on the outcomes of investigations.
The intensity and temporal scale over which post-construction monitoring should occur will
be determined by the predicted level of impact to key species. It may be best to spread
monitoring so that it samples impacts during the life of the wind farm, rather than
concentrate it into a short period at the commencement of wind farm operation. This may
assist in understanding whether effects alter with time (e.g. due to any habituation by birds
and bats, some of which may be quite long-lived, to the presence of the wind farm, or due
to fluctuations in local populations over time).
Determination of actual impacts on key bird & bat populations (page 130) and Evaluation
of adaptive management aimed at further reduction of impacts (page 132) cover
investigation and management of the functioning wind farm. These aspects are
complementary to each other and will operate in parallel during the life of the wind farm.
Determination of actual impacts on key bird & bat populations
Principal question:
Purpose:
Methods:
What are the actual impacts of the operational wind farm on key bird & bat
populations
To determine the actual effects of the operational wind farm on population(s)
of key species.
To inform adaptive management of the wind farm.
To maximise capacity to learn about and improve understanding of bird and
bat interactions with wind farms.
For this stage, the studies will include:
• bird and bat utilisation studies
• detection and documentation of fatalities
• ascertain effects on populations by evaluation of numbers of mortalities
against results of previous PVA or PBR analysis.
If the wind farm is approved and there is a residual risk of some mortality for any key taxon,
a program should be designed and instigated with clear objectives to investigate the
following:
• Whether use of the site by birds and bats changes once turbines have been installed
and are functioning.
• Capacity for relevant species of birds and bats to avoid collisions when flying in the
presence of turbines.
• The species and numbers of collision fatalities and any effect of these on populations
of key species.
Each of these aspects is discussed further under respective subheadings below.
Page 130 Draft National Wind Farm Development Guidelines – 2 July 2010