II International Scientific and Practical Conference: Eagles of Palearctic: Study and Conservation
USE OF INNOVATIVE TELEMETRY METHODS TO ASSES INTERACTIONS BETWEEN WIND FARMS AND WILDLIFE: FIRST RESULTS OF GRIFFON VULTURE TRACKING IN SPAIN JUAN M. PÉREZ-GARCÍA* juanmapg@gmail.com
Wind farms have adverse impacts on wildlife including some threatened species The effects of wind-farms on species of conservation concern should be carefully monitored to reconcile renewable energy production with biodiversity conservation
At the end of the year 2016, Spain was the world’s fifth largest wind-power producer with a 23,026 MW of generating capacity
Spain holds many threatened European avian species (i.e. > 90% of European griffon vultures, Spanish imperial eagle) and is an important passage area for multiple species during their seasonal migrations
Southern Spain is a conflict area -Bottleneck avian migration -Breeding population of threatened raptor -Important windfarm production
Wind farms
30 wind farms and 1,040 turbines (1992-2009) 9,822 indvs from 152 spp killed (1993-2016) 85.7% of the turbines with wildlife mortality
Telemetry to asses windfarms-raptor‌.
Taxon Raptors Bats Passerines Steppe / Farm birds Seabirds and Gulls Waterbirds Rest of birds
1772
2184
% 37.6% 24.3% 18.1% 4.7% 4.3% 4.0% 6.9%
Windfarm-Wildlife Problem Raptor Category Vulture Large Eagle Medium sized Raptor Falcon Owl Total
Indvs % 1788 52.8% 134 4.0% 765 22.6% 632 18.7% 66 1.9% 3385
399
482
170
118
1
Telemetry to asses windfarms-raptor interactions
Indicator species
Griffon vulture as a good indicator species of wildlife fatalities in wind farms
Patterns of wildlife mortality in windfarms % CO-OCURRENCE OTHER SPS 90.1% 20.2%
81.7%
83.2% Cadiz (S. Spain)
% TOTAL FATALITIES
Telemetry to asses windfarms-raptor interactions
AIMS
Movements of adult griffon vultures in relation to extrinsic (environmental) and intrinsic (individual) factors by means of high frequency GPS telemetry Risks associated with existing and future windfarms
Telemetry to asses windfarms-raptor interactions
Trapping and Marking
12 griffon vultures (10 males and 2 females) were captured on 22nd May 2018 and tagged with GPS -loggers
Telemetry to asses windfarms-raptor interactions
Trapping and Marking
All vulture captured were also marked with colour wing-tags
Telemetry to asses windfarms-raptor interactions
Telemetry devices
Griffon 2S LF • • • • •
GPS-GSM-GPRS/UHF (36g) Daily 125.000 GPS fixes -1 min interval Accelerometer 5Hz/25s bursts every 1min Barometric pressure Precise “activity report 480” Daily delivery data via GPRS / 3G
Telemetry to asses windfarms-raptor interactions
Example of the data provided by the loggers Acceleration, Speed, Altitude, Voltage, Temperature‌.
Characteristics
Results Movements of 12 Griffon vultures 23rd May – 31st July 2018
Breeding colonies
Results 12 Griffon vultures 23rd – 30th May 2018
Large inter-invidual differences Stable flight routes
Telemetry to asses windfarms-raptor interactions
Results VSUP 004 23th-30th May 2018
Wind turbines
Telemetry to asses windfarms-raptor interactions
DoĂąana National Park
Results VSUP 006 23th-30th May
Telemetry to asses windfarms-raptor interactions
Results
Flight altitude of tracked griffon vultures located at less than 100 m of a wind turbine
Risk collision altitude VUS02 = No fixes close turbines
Telemetry to asses windfarms-raptor interactions
Results
Detection of Highly Risky Events
Wind turbines
Feeding birds congregated at 400 m of wind turbines (24th May 18)
Results One marked bird died in August by a fatal collision.
Telemetry to asses windfarms-raptor interactions
Conclusions
Resident raptor show higher collision risk Inter-individual differences in collision risk (feeding strategies) Flight corridors from colonies to feeding areas Detection of highl-risk collision events High-frequency GPS-GPRS allow a better understanding of movements of griffon vultures to build risk windfarms collision maps
Telemetry to asses windfarms-raptor interactions
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION! СПАСИБО ЗА ВНИМАНИЕ!! Co-authors: Martina Carrete* Ainara Cortés-Avizanda Eneko Arrondo Manuel de la Riva José A. Sánchez-Zapata José A. Donázar Collaborator:
Capture Permits by: