Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Fauna Collisions with Wind Turbines: Effects
and Impacts, Individuals and Populations.
What Are We Trying to Assess?
Ian Smales
Abstract
Current knowledge about bird and bat collisions with wind turbines in
Australia is limited by a lack of consistent monitoring methods and of publicly
available information where data have been collected. An overview of information
that is available for mortalities and for collision modelling is provided and it sug-
gests that frequency of collisions is generally low and unlikely to have significant
impacts on population of many species. The perceptions and paradigms within
which wind turbine collisions are considered are compared with aviation fauna col-
lisions in Australia. Assessment by approval authorities of potential and actual bird
and bat collisions have generally not been well focused on whether the levels of
mortality involved influence viability of populations of species of concern. This is
despite important regulatory policy that is clearly intended to ensure this approach.
There is a great deal of potential to improve our understanding of bird and bat
collisions with turbines and recommendations are made to ensure that assessments
of collision rates are focused on determining whether they have impacts on popula-
tions of threatened taxa.
Keywords
Wind turbine collision • Bird bat impact assessment • Review •
Cumulativeimpact•Windfarm
Introduction
Commercial wind energy has been operating in Australia for 25 years, with the first
windfarmofsixturbinescommissionedatSalmonBeachinW.A.in1987.Currently
thereare59commercial-scalewindfarmsoperatinginthecountryand41ofthese,
with1,067turbines,areinNewSouthWales,SouthAustralia,VictoriaandTasmania
(Clean Energy Council
2012
).
The risk of fauna collisions with turbines is a principal consideration amongst
the potential environmental effects of wind farms. This risk has been routinely
raised as a concern and considered in approval processes for commercial-scale wind
