Integrating conservation priorities into spatial planning for renewable energy development: The case of the Spanish imperial eagle

Abstract

The data that has been used is confidential.The rapid expansion of renewable energy infrastructure across the Iberian Peninsula presents new challenges for the conservation of endangered species, such as the Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti). We assessed the spatial overlap between operational wind and photovoltaic energy facilities and the key ecological areas used by juvenile Spanish imperial eagles and areas occupied by resident breeding adults. We analysed GPS-tracking data from 61 juveniles monitored between 2017 and 2023, together with breeding data from official records, to estimate dispersal and breeding ranges. We found that 40 % of the juvenile dispersal area suffers moderate to high-risk from energy installations, and that these areas host over 46 % of all wind turbines and 67 % of the photovoltaic energy surface in the study area. Of the eagles monitored, 36 % died during the study period, with 59 % of the human-activity related deaths linked to energy infrastructure, primarily due to electrocution. We also evaluated the current and zones excluded from the designation of go-to areas for renewable energy implementation under Directive (EU) 2023/2413 and found that only 21.3 % of the juvenile dispersal area and 38 % of the breeding range are currently protected. Proposed extensions to exclusion zones would significantly increase the protected area (18–26 %) but still leave ecologically sensitive areas at risk. These results underscore the urgent need to integrate fine-scale ecological data into renewable energy planning to reduce conflicts with endangered species conservation.This work was carried out by Fundación CBD-Habitat and funded by the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO). The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of MITECO. Jorge Tobajas was supported by a postdoctoral contract (Junior +) from the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) partially funded by the European Union through the European Social Fund Plus (FSE+), and a postdoctoral contract funded by the University of Cordoba through the “Plan Propio de Investigación Enrique Aguilar Benítez de Lugo 2024”. The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to J. Caldera, J. Lara Ismael Pérez and David Mingot from the Autonomous Community of Madrid, D. Cubero, V. Salvador, E. Madejón, N. Zabala, Elena Hernández and C. Pérez from the Junta de Castilla y León. We are also grateful to F. J. Sánchez Mateos, F. Guil, J. García, L.M. González, C. Carrapato, N. El Kadir, E. Sotolargo, D. García, L. Benavente, M. Reina, T. Pereyra, L. Bolonio, C. Palacín and L. Sebastián. V. García and A. Díaz from the MITECO for their invaluable support and assistance throughout this project. M. Dagys for his invaluable assistance and willingness to help us with GPS devices. We thank to Phil Whitfield and an anonymous reviewer for their useful suggestions, which helped us to improve our manuscript.Open Access funding provided by Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha.Peer reviewe