We discuss wind farms and how they affect birds, and raise a few questions about birds feelings.
For more information Samantha can be contacted at energy@birdlife.org.za
Birds can be affected by wind energy in a number of ways, the most obvious is collision, but also by the disturbances of building and maintaining wind farms, and they can be displaced through habitat loss.
So it's really important we put wind farms in the right place. Bird Life South Africa work with industry and government to make sure assessments are done properly and that we monitor those impacts. They also work closely with the South Africa Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) who have been instrumental in getting the guidelines adopted as a norm in South Africa.
It is a lot less effort to make sure wind farms are located in the right place early on in the process, so there is a sensitivity map which helps developers get an idea of the likely hood of the sensitivity of an area. Bird Life South Africa also offer a free basic screening exercise, so before developers go ahead and purchase they can get an idea of likely issues.
An obvious example of a conflict is putting a wind farm near a vulture roost. Vultures are the most collision prone birds and are a huge conservation priority in South Africa.
Although renewable energy can impact birds, it's really important to keep perspective, if you look at the impacts of coal just in terms of habitat loss, transformation, air pollution, not to mention climate change which is a major threat to biodiversity. So bird life is often questioned why they support wind energy, but it's all about maintaining balance.
We can expect to see a lot more wind and solar farms going forward, South Africa is seen as a prime location to invest in for these technologies. But for developers and for Bird Life SA, it's probably going to get more difficult as we run out of those low hanging fruits.
If more of us can take responsibility of where our energy comes from and our energy consumption, it would reduce the need for these industrial scale plants. A lot of us feel a bit powerless and want to object to every wind farm, but there's a lot they can do in their individual home as well.
