The 2025 U.S. State of the Birds report revealed that birds are struggling rapid population declines throughout the US from impacts like habitat loss. Audubon’s science exhibits that two-thirds of North American bird species are prone to extinction until we take daring motion to chop air pollution and gradual the rise in world temperatures. More and more excessive climate situations and shifting seasons are already altering ecosystems and threatening species’ survival.
When accomplished responsibly, creating extra land-based wind power may help shield birds from these escalating threats. As demand for power continues to develop, it’s important that we plan thoughtfully for easy methods to meet these wants. Wind power is considered one of many ways in which human actions work together with hen populations and habitats, with other structures like buildings having greater impacts, and analysis efforts over the past a number of a long time have continued to enhance understanding to keep away from or decrease dangers. That is why Audubon advocates for planning and siting tasks primarily based on the perfect accessible science and dealing with native communities to make sure that growth advantages each folks and wildlife.
The newest publication from the Renewable Vitality Wildlife Institute (REWI), Wind Energy Interactions with Wildlife: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions Based on the State of the Science, supplies a complete abstract of publicly accessible details about how land-based wind energy interacts with birds and bats in North America. It additionally highlights the most recent methods to keep away from and decrease impacts like collisions and habitat degradation, underscoring that early and significant engagement with state wildlife administration companies, cautious planning, analysis, and collaboration may help advance the clear power tasks we want.
Accountable Land-Primarily based Wind Growth
Accountable wind growth entails siting and working tasks in ways in which advance renewable power whereas decreasing dangers to birds and different wildlife. Greatest practices and superior mapping are used to determine low-conflict areas and keep away from websites which can be important for birds. Collision-reducing applied sciences, conservation offsets for any unavoidable impacts, and rigorous monitoring earlier than and after development additionally assist be sure that tasks proceed to attenuate impacts to birds over time.
Audubon is a founder and Board member of REWI, an unbiased nonprofit convening renewable power corporations, conservation and science organizations, and public companies to develop and leverage peer-reviewed science on renewable power, wildlife, and ecosystems. With over 120 years of conservation science, Audubon works with builders and decision-makers on accountable land-based wind power growth.
For instance, Audubon’s collaboration with wind tasks within the Tehachapi Mountains of California resulted in experimentation with superior applied sciences to detect Golden Eagles and California Condors in the event that they enter a mission space so as to flip the generators off in round 30 seconds. Most of the wind tasks additionally supplied conservation advantages to California Condors upfront by means of captive breeding applications and different measures by means of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) permit that provides conservation earlier than any Condors have been harmed. Since then, no Condors have been killed or injured at a wind mission and the inhabitants has grown by means of the allow.
Key Takeaways from the REWI Abstract
- In latest a long time, intensive analysis has examined how land-based wind power interacts with wildlife and their habitats. Audubon has been a part of these efforts for the reason that first assembly of the National Wind Coordinating Collaborative (NWCC), a precursor to REWI, in 1994. REWI’s abstract synthesizes publicly accessible, peer-reviewed, scientific research performed by skilled biologists and analyzed utilizing rigorous, neutral strategies.
- For a lot of birds, the present fee of estimated mortality from wind generators wouldn’t be anticipated to have a population-level influence. The species most continuously affected by turbine collisions are typically widespread perching birds like Mourning Doves with giant populations and excessive reproductive charges. For these species, the influence from wind generators is usually lower than 0.02 p.c of their complete inhabitants, which is remarkably low in comparison with different, way more widespread causes of hen mortality corresponding to constructing collisions.
- Nonetheless, some hen species are extra weak to inhabitants stage impacts than others. Species with declining populations which can be delicate to any extra sources of mortality or disturbance, corresponding to Higher Sage-Grouse, Ferruginous Hawk, and Lesser Prairie Rooster, are a excessive precedence for Audubon when partaking on a wind mission. A 2020 report from USFWS revealed that populations of Golden Eagles are stable, however cumulative impacts from varied stressors like lead poisoning, taking pictures, and electrocution on energy traces could contribute to additional declines. As a result of Golden Eagles have comparatively small populations and gradual reproductive charges, any extra mortality from turbine collisions can have a higher influence on their general inhabitants trajectory.
- New applied sciences are presently deployed at wind tasks to attenuate the dangers for these species that might have elevated ranges of influence from wind power. For instance, camera-based programs coupled with machine imaginative and prescient algorithms can detect and classify raptors like Golden Eagles in actual time and might considerably scale back fatalities by mechanically shutting down generators. Analysis continues in extra applied sciences and working practices which will keep away from and decrease hurt to birds like contrast painting of turbine blades.
Responsibly sited and operated land-based wind power tasks are important to safeguarding the way forward for birds and other people. Researchers, conservationists, and business companions are working collectively to develop and implement methods to keep away from, decrease, monitor, and offset impacts. With the perfect accessible science, continued collaboration, and neighborhood enter, we are able to construct a clear power future that advantages the local weather, folks, and conservation.
For extra details about REWI’s new publication, go to Wind Energy Interactions with Wildlife: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions Based on the State of the Science.
