GuidelinesGuidelines forfor windwind farmfarmplanning planning onon birdsbirds andand batsbats::

LessonsLessons learnedlearned fromfrom operatingoperatingwindwind farmsfarms

Álvaro Camiña

Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services in Impact AssessmentInter-American Development Bank | Washington, DC, USA

7-8 February 2013

EIA´s

Mozura WfKrnovo Wf

MONTENEGRO

BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA

POLAND

WhereWhere wewe workwork

Bat monitoring

Mortality rates, speciesaffected(case of vulture species)

Blue G. barbatusRed G. fulvus

N. percnopterusGreen A. monachus

A

C

B

Mortality rates, species affected

Blue G. barbatusRed G. fulvus

N. percnopterusGreen A. monachus

A

C

B

AREA A B CWindfarms 125 64 62Turbines 3305 1879 908

Turbines sampled 57.45% 49.39% 69.49%

Mortality ratesVultures/turbine/year 0.184 0.002 0.420

COLLISIONSGyps fulvus 2035 4 527

Neophron percnopterus 3 - 5Aegypius monachus 3 - -Gypaetus barbatus - - -

Gyps rueppellii - - 1Gyps africanus - - 1

ReviewReview ofof monitoringmonitoring reportsreports 20002000--20112011

PublicPublic bodiesbodies--GovernmentsGovernments

• Only account for fatalities• Usually they do not react• Bureauocracy• Lack of a prompt answer for solving problems–

mitigation and/or correction. • Transparency

Around 900 post-construction monitoring reports

EnvironmentalEnvironmental consultanciesconsultancies

• Just account for number of fatalities• No further data analysis (reasons of collision)• Lack of searcher detection bias or carcass removal• Very poor related with bats• Lack of management conclusions (i.e. retrofitting

turbines)• Saving money/subcontracting• Lack of know-how• Each one their own - not adequate- methodology.

DevelopersDevelopers

• “I do not want any problem”• Just or fill for the requirements of the EIS• The cheaper, the better.• Environmental monitoring is mandatory• Fear : Wildlife is a problem even on already operating

wind farms• Despite proper environmental monitoring is an added

service, it is true Biodiversity protection.

ImpactImpact onon biodiversitybiodiversity

Birds and bats collide with blades

Barrier effect

Habitat loss

ReasonsReasons ofof mortalitymortality

•• BiologyBiology ofof thethe speciesspecies ..

•• EnvironmentalEnvironmental variables.variables.

•• WindWind famrfamr CharacteristicsCharacteristics ..

•• ExternalExternal factorsfactors

ReasonsReasons ofof mortalitymortality

BiologyBiology ofof thethe speciesspecies

ARGOSARGOS--GPS GPS MonitoringMonitoring

Home range

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Jan-Feb March-Apr May-Jun Jul-Oct Nov-Dec

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

% sobre el 100% Área Km cuad

How How muchmuch ofof thethe homehome rangerange isisprotectedprotected

ReasonsReasons ofof mortalitymortality

•• EnvironmentalEnvironmental variablesvariables

EffectEffect ofof temperaturetemperature onon flyingflyingvulturesvultures

Mean ±SE ±1,96*SE

2,182,21

2,51

2,33

2,56

2,80

2,552,50

2,38

2,25

2,31

2,14

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

MES

1,80

2,00

2,20

2,40

2,60

2,80

3,00

Altu

ra d

e V

uelo

Altura vueloValores =

123

ReasonsReasons ofof mortalitymortality

•• WindWind farmfarm CharacteristicsCharacteristics

HowHow manymany turbinesturbines are are reallyreallydangerousdangerous ??

y = 0,2927Ln(x) + 1,1099

R2 = 0,9795

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

% of tubines killing /total number of turbines of t he windfarm

% C

umul

ativ

e M

orta

lity

WindWind farmfarm locationlocation

Uso de GIS para desarrollarModelos espaciales predictivosde peligrosidad /zonas de riesgo

Ante nuevos emplazamientos

y = 0,2927Ln(x) + 1,1099

R2 = 0,9795

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40%

Porcentaje aerogeneradores/total parque

Por

cent

aje

de m

orta

lidad

acu

mul

ada

ReasonsReasons ofof mortalitymortality

•• ExternalExternal factorsfactors

In 2000 cattlebecomes “crazy”

Because theMad-cow disease

Variations in mortality(Same species over time)

0,13

0,19

0,24

0,18

0,120,11

0,140,13

0,19

0,24

0,18

0,120,11

0,14

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20100,02

0,04

0,06

0,08

0,10

0,12

0,14

0,16

0,18

0,20

0,22

0,24

0,26

0,28

0,30

0,32

0,34

Sin

iest

ralid

ad B

uitr

es M

W/a

ño

0,13

0,19

0,24

0,18

0,120,11

0,14

Mean Mean±SE Mean±1,96*SE

BSE

SpatialSpatial distributondistributon ofof fatalitiesfatalities

20002000--20052005

20062006--20102010

Turbines with one collision increase from 32% to 58%(Wilcoxon Z =2,02 p < 0,05)

VariationsVariations in in mortalitymortality ((samesamespeciesspecies--diferentdiferent places) places) LarkLark’’s s

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Al ar AR %

Al ar SO %

BirdBird andand bat bat monitoringmonitoring

BirdBird monitoringmonitoring

Bat Bat fatalitiesfatalities

> 15 days 15-10 days 7 days-0,05

0,00

0,05

0,10

0,15

0,20

0,25

0,30

0,35

0,40

Mor

talit

y y

ear

-1T

urb-

1

Mean Mean±SE Mean±1,96*SE

Camiña, A. (2012) Bat mortality at wind farms in Northern Spain.ActaChiropterologica 14(1):205-212.

1662 fatalities

Only 147 bats (8.84%)

RelatedRelated issuesissues

MitigationMitigation measuresmeasures : : therethere are are alreadyalreadytestedtested measuresmeasures i.e. i.e. curtailmentcurtailment ofofturbinesturbines forfor batsbats , , temporarytemporary shuttshuttdowndown ..

MeasuringMeasuring carcasscarcass removalremoval andand observerobserverdetectondetecton biasbias

CarcassCarcass removalremovalSearcherSearcher detectiondetection biasbias

Carcass removal and detection

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

Día 0 Día 1 Día 5 Día 10 Día 15 > 15 días

Carroñas 1 Carroñas 2 Nidos

ConclusionsConclusions--PrioritiesPriorities

• Develop one and unique methodology in all aspects; space use of the wind farm, abundance.

• Formation for consultancies: data collection, data analysis…

• Estimate searcher detection bias or carcass removal, estimation of fatalities.

• Species-specific and site-specific studies (micrositing).• DATA ANALYSIS!!!

Álvaro Camiña

Apartado de correos 33928220 Majadahonda MADRID

SPAIN

acamia@acrenasl.eu

(+34) 648.08.78.01

Thank you!