Dispersal, migration and management - Ecological Applications: Toward a Sustainable World - page 106

services performed by native bees that move back and forth from their forest
home.

The fi nal word

Maria, our wind farm proponent, is certainly not against controls on development
for the good of the natural world. ' Business may be my focus, but I appreciate the
spiritual refreshment of visiting natural landscapes as much as any greeny. And as for
the wild bee story, how could a businessperson not be happy with a service that enhances
profi tability but is essentially free? ' But as far as her proposed wind farm development
goes, and having learnt about the land-based and marine-based wind farm studies,
Maria is now even angrier. ' You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know that some
birds will fl y into turbines, just as they do into plate-glass windows, aeroplane jets and
power lines. The question is whether these losses, regrettable as they are, would actually
result in declines or extinctions of any bird species at all. Don't forget that these vague
risks need to be balanced against things like the gainful employment of building and
running the wind farms. Not to mention the environmental benefi t of wind power as
opposed to the burning of fossil fuel. '
Consider the two wind farm studies in Section 4.5.3. Do you judge their results
to be of use in deciding where wind farm development should be allowed? Outline
some studies that might be performed to allow stronger recommendations to
be made.

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