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Wind farms drive away sure seabirds: research
by AFP Workers Writers
Paris (AFP) April 13, 2023
Offshore wind farms drive away a species of chicken within the North Sea, scientists present in a research revealed Thursday, warning that vitality reforms should not “amplify the biodiversity disaster”.
Researchers primarily based in Germany monitored numbers of red-throated loons — a long-necked duck-like chicken also referred to as a diver — round 5 offshore wind farm (OWF) websites from 2010 to 2014.
Abundance of loons of their spring resting websites declined by 94 p.c inside one kilometre (0.6 miles) of a wind farm and 52 p.c inside 10 kilometres, mentioned their research within the journal Scientific Stories, revealed by Nature.
The general variety of birds across the websites declined by almost a 3rd, from almost 35,000 earlier than the wind farms have been constructed to simply beneath 25,000 afterwards.
Earlier research had indicated “important impacts” for different birds, the paper famous — some species have been drawn to them and risked getting killed by the rotor blades.
However “no different seabird species group has demonstrated such a robust, detrimental response” to offshore windfarms because the loons, it mentioned.
“We’re fairly assured that loons react primarily to the existence and visibility of those constructions and fewer to the actions of the rotors,” lead writer Stefan Garthe advised AFP.
“Loons are additionally very delicate in the direction of ship visitors” reminiscent of boats servicing the wind farms, he mentioned. “Plainly they keep away from all above-surface actions of people.”
After the wind farms have been constructed, the seabirds flew additional afield in quest of meals.
“These new areas are seemingly much less good feeding websites for the birds, in any other case they’d have visited these areas in excessive numbers earlier than,” Garthe mentioned.
Photo voltaic and wind energy are increasing as international locations search carbon-free types of vitality to restrict the planet-warming results of fossil fuels.
A survey revealed by local weather and vitality suppose tank Ember confirmed that electrical energy technology from wind grew by 17 p.c in 2022, to characterize 7.6 p.c of the world whole.
“Though renewable energies might be wanted to offer a big share of our vitality calls for sooner or later, it’s vital to reduce the prices by way of less-adaptable species, to keep away from amplifying the biodiversity disaster,” the seabird research warned.
Associated Hyperlinks
Wind Power Information at Wind Each day