Making Energy Bird-Friendly: Highlights of AEWA MOP6

Bonn, 30 November 2015 - The renewable energy industry is growing fast with substantial investments from governments and the private sector. The advance of clean power is welcome and could provide an invaluable contribution to meeting international targets on climate change.

However, as the industry grows, attention needs to be paid to the ecological impacts of these developments. If located in the wrong place and planned poorly, such developments may have significant detrimental impacts on migratory species, including birds.

Best practicesfrom Germany, UK, Israel, Saudi Arabia and South Africa were presented during the “Energy and Migratory Birds: Solutions for a Brighter Future” side event that took place in the margins of AEWA MOP6, which took place on November 9-14, 2015 in Bonn, Germany.

CMS Family Renewable Energy Guidelines: Cooperation of All Stakeholders Needed

In their opening presentation, Marco Barbieri (CMS Scientific Advisor) and Aida Kowalska (BirdLife International) focused on guidelines developed by CMS and AEWA in cooperation with BirdLife International.  These provide guidance on avoiding and mitigating the impacts of renewable energy developments on migratory species. Mr. Barbieri stressed the need to translate, adapt and apply existing guidelines and tools through international and most importantly national level partnerships.

There is an urgent need for closer co-operation between all stakeholders to reconcile energy sector developments with migratory species conservation interests. To address this, the global Energy Task Force that is being established under CMS will hold its first meeting in 2016. Officials from energy and environmental ministries and members of the power supply sector with strong leadership in environmental practices will join representatives of various NGOs and donors to discuss strategic planning, develop new research proposals and design capacity-building workshops on a sub-regional level.

Germany: Use of Secondary Resources for Bioenergy is Key to Protecting Habitats

Speaking about renewable energy in Germany, Gerhard Adams (German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety) focused on challenges of implementing bioenergy technologies. The required biomass production can lead to loss of wildlife habitats when meadows are ploughed over to grow maize. This may threaten such bird species as the Black-tailed Godwit, Lapwing and Skylark. Mr. Adams stressed the need to advocate for wider use of secondary plant resources that do not directly increase agricultural production, such as industrial and harvesting residues, waste wood, animal and municipal waste, cover crops and algae.

David Stroud

David Stroud © Helga Karsten

  Energy Side Event Panel at AEWA MOP6 © Helga Karsten

Scotland: Competitors from Renewable Energy Sector Collaborate on Research

David Stroud (Joint Nature Conservation Committee, UK) presented a recent initiative in Scotland that brings together commercial companies in the wind energy sector to develop a cooperative platform for sharing scientific budgets and spending them on strategic projects for the wind energy sector. Four of Scotland’s largest developers of renewable energy have teamed up with Scottish Natural Heritage, RSPB Scotland and the Scottish Government to invest in a new research fund to help better understand the interaction between wind farms and bird populations. Even though many of these companies are competitors, they have agreed to work together to pool their information and their budgets. They succeeded in developing a research strategy – a way to achieve much more together than they would separately.

Africa and Middle East: Multinational Cooperation Protects Migratory Soaring Birds

Alex Ngari (BirdLife Africa Secretariat) introduced the Migratory Soaring Bird Project (MSB) that covers eleven countries along the Rift Valley-Red Sea Flyway. Used by 1.5 million birds belonging to thirty-seven soaring bird species, of which five are globally threatened, and thirty-five are listed under CITES, it is the second most important flyway in the world, with twenty-three globally important bottleneck sites.

A pioneering sensitivity-mapping tool for the wind energy sector and power lines has been developed under the MSB project. The project staff also participated in producing and promoting CMS Family energy-related guidelines and leveraged on the CMS/AEWA-led World Migratory Bird Day annual campaign to bring together stakeholders and conduct discussions on energy and migratory birds. The MSB project members also work to enhance the capacity of national partners in environmental safeguarding work, undertake more in-depth environmental impact assessments on migratory soaring birds and develop new partnerships to reconcile energy development with species conservation. Mr. Ngari stressed the need for CMS and AEWA focal points to reach out to energy sector agencies on the national level to promote guidelines and tools that improve migratory bird conservation.

Saudi Arabia: Habitat Suitability Models to be Employed in Rapid Energy Development

Mohammed Shobrak (Taif University/Saudi Wildlife Authority) introduced a case study from Saudi Arabia on electrocution and collision of migratory birds with power lines. The coastal areas along the Red Sea are considered as narrow-fronted migration and bottleneck areas, where the occurrence of migratory birds follows  the topography that channel them, such as passages along coastlines, peninsulas or through narrow valleys. It must be noted that the majority of the Important Bird Areas (IBAs) on the Arabian Peninsula is located in coastal and mountain ranges.  Meanwhile, the increase in human population and activity that drives demand for an increase in electricity, power lines and renewable energy installations makes this area all the more challenging for passing birds.

Mr. Shobrak presented the results of a study that was used to build habitat suitability models for twenty-two coastal wetland bird species, such as shorebirds, gulls and terns. The study used such variables as topography, habitat, latitude, coast complexity, man-made structures and human settlements to produce individual habitat suitability models for each of the bird species in seventeen different areas.

Israel: High Pressure to Combine Conservation Efforts with Energy Demands

Ohad Hatzofe (Israel Nature and Park Authority) spoke of the challenges his country faces when trying to combine wildlife conservation with demands to curb carbon dioxide emissions and advance the use of renewable energy technologies. While the private sector is under tremendous pressure to fulfill government decisions on wind turbine installations, the limited areas where they can be installed are heavily used by migratory birds. In Mr. Hatzofe’s words, his country is looking to organizations such as CMS and AEWA to help the government make the right choice on which renewable energy technology is the best option for Israel as a major throughway for migratory birds. 

South Africa: Cooperation with Energy Companies is Key to Preventing Bird Accidents

Kerryn Morrison (International Crane Foundation/Endangered Wildlife Trust) spoke of the strategic partnership between the Endangered Wildlife Trust and Eskom, the Southern African utility company. This collaboration of more than eighteen years has resulted in a great deal of progress in understanding why birds fly into power lines, why some species are more affected than others and which technologies can make power lines safer for birds. Recently, the partners started working on a nocturnal device that would make power lines more visible at night to such species as flamingoes and cranes. The OWL Nocturnal Device is currently being tested at five sites in South Africa.

Additionally, the Endangered Wildlife Trust has developed a training manual for the energy company that the personnel monitoring power lines across the country can use to report on bird collisions and provide important data that would not only help respond to power line incidents, but assist in making them safer for birds in the future.

Below are links to the guidelines:

 

Power lines

EN - http://www.unep-aewa.org/sites/default/files/publication/ts50_electr_guidelines_03122014.pdf

FR - http://www.unep-aewa.org/sites/default/files/publication/ts50_electr_guidelines_fr_03122014.pdf

 

Renewable energy

EN - http://www.unep-aewa.org/sites/default/files/document/mop6_37_draft_renewable_energy_guidelines.pdf

FR - http://www.unep-aewa.org/sites/default/files/document/mop6_37_draft_renewable_energy_guidelines_fr_0.pdf

For more information on the CMS Energy Task Force, please contact Dr. Marco Barbieri, CMS Scientific Advisor at marco.barbieri@cms.int or (+49) 0228 815 2498.

 

Last updated on 10 December 2015

Type: 
News item
Species group: 
Birds