CORE
🇺🇦
make metadata, not war
Services
Services overview
Explore all CORE services
Access to raw data
API
Dataset
FastSync
Content discovery
Recommender
Discovery
OAI identifiers
OAI Resolver
Managing content
Dashboard
Bespoke contracts
Consultancy services
Support us
Support us
Membership
Sponsorship
Community governance
Advisory Board
Board of supporters
Research network
About
About us
Our mission
Team
Blog
FAQs
Contact us
research
Griffon vulture mortality at wind farms in southern Spain: Distribution of fatalities and active mitigation measures
Authors
Marc J. Bechard
Miguel Ferrer
Manuela de Lucas
Antonio R. Muñoz
Publication date
1 March 2012
Publisher
'Elsevier BV'
Doi
Cite
Abstract
Wind is increasingly being used as a renewable energy source around the world. Avian mortality is one of the negative impacts of wind energy and a new technique that reduces avian collision rates is necessary. Using the most frequently-killed species, the griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus), we studied its mortality at 13 wind farms in Tarifa, Cadiz, Spain, before (2006-2007) and after (2008-2009) when selective turbine stopping programs were implemented as a mitigation measure. Ten wind farms (total of 244 turbines) were selectively stopped and three wind farms (total of 52 turbines) were not. We found 221 dead griffon vultures during the entire study and the mortality rate was statistically different per turbine and year among wind farms. During 2006-2007, 135 griffon vultures were found dead and the spatial distribution of mortality was not uniformly distributed among turbines, with very few turbines showing the highest mortality rates. The 10 most dangerous turbines were distributed among six different wind farms. Most of the mortalities were concentrated in October and November matching the migratory period. During 2008-2009, we used a selective stopping program to stop turbines when vultures were observed near them and the griffon vulture mortality rate was reduced by 50% with a consequent reduction in total energy production of by the wind farms by only 0.07% per year. Our results indicate that the use of selective stopping techniques at turbines with the highest mortality rates can help to mitigate the impacts of wind farms on birds with a minimal affect on energy production. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.Peer Reviewe
Similar works
Full text
Open in the Core reader
Download PDF
Available Versions
Boise State University - ScholarWorks
See this paper in CORE
Go to the repository landing page
Download from data provider
oai:scholarworks.boisestate.ed...
Last time updated on 17/11/2016
Digital.CSIC
See this paper in CORE
Go to the repository landing page
Download from data provider
oai:digital.csic.es:10261/5909...
Last time updated on 25/05/2016