Do wind farms kill birds or harm wildlife?
Siting is a crucial issue. Developers should contact specialists such as the RSPB and conduct a thorough analysis of the risk to birdlife as part of the environmental assessment of wind farm proposals. The RSPB supports wind power, and has said that from its own studies at three wind farms in Wales, “the scale of bird strike does not seem to be of serious concern”, and that wind turbines will have little effect on birds outside their main migration routes.
The RSPB objects to about only 6 per cent of the hundreds of wind turbine applications it looks at each year. The charity says: “If wind farms are located away from major migration routes and important feeding, breeding and roosting areas of those bird species known or suspected to be at risk, it is likely that they will have minimal impacts.”
Years of experience in other countries have highlighted a few specific problems where wind farms have been sited too close to high concentrations of migrant birds either feeding or roosting. When properly sited, wind turbines present no more danger to birds than other structures such as pylons or roads. Other forms of wildlife are generally not significantly affected - nor are agricultural livestock, which often graze right up to the bases of the turbine towers.
Friends of the Earth opposes development in protected areas such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) unless it can be demonstrated that it will not cause damage to the special interest. However, SSSI designation does not constitute a blanket ban on development activities. In some cases the development may not cause significant impact. Friends of the Earth recommends a case-by-case approach, and caution where scientific evidence is weak. These sites and the species living there are at major risk from climate change, so cutting CO2 emissions is vital for their long-term conservation.
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