Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Wind power plants and the conservation of birds and bats in Spain: a geographical assessment

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Biodiversity and Conservation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The number of wind power plants installed in Spain has increased dramatically, and many are located in important wildlife areas. This paper explores the geographical overlap of wind power plants with the ranges of flying vertebrate species. The list of animals studied includes bats, soaring birds, and other birds that may be killed by turbines. Results show that the 10 × 10 km UTM squares occupied by wind power plants fell within the range of more bat and bird species than squares free of these infrastructures. For species included in the Spanish Red List, there were more wind power plants than expected inside the range of two raptors (Neophron percnopterus and Circus pygargus) and less than expected in six species (Ciconia nigra, Aquila adalberti, Hieraetus fasciatus Myotis capaccinii, Rhinolophus mehelyi and Myotis myotis). The rest of endangered species (15) had a range occupation similar to that predicted by random sampling, a result that reflects a poor strategy to prevent the overlap. These patterns may be explained by the small amount of overlap of the range of many of these animals with the windiest areas in Spain, where wind power plants are concentrated today. However, this situation is changing rapidly with the densification and expansion of wind power plants promoted under the Spanish Plan of Renewable Energies. This may produce the occupation of many areas important to bird and bat conservation, and therefore preventive measures should be implemented to protect these species and their habitats.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Carrascal LM, Lobo JM (2003) Respuestas a viejas preguntas con nuevos datos: estudio de los patrones de distribución de la avifauna española y consecuencias para su conservación. In: Martí R, del Moral J.C. (eds) Atlas de las aves reproductoras de España, Dirección General de Conservación de la Naturaleza-Sociedad Española de Ornitología, Madrid

  • De Lucas M, Janss GFE, Ferrer M (2007) Birds and wind farms risk assessment and mitigation. Quercus, Madrid

    Google Scholar 

  • Donázar JA (1993) Los buitres ibéricos. Biología y conservación. J.M. Reyero Editor, Madrid

    Google Scholar 

  • Drewitt AL, Langston RHW (2006) Assessing the impacts of wind farms on birds. Ibis 148:29–42. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.2006.00516.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • EWEA (2008) Pure power. Wind energy scenarios up to 2030. European Wind Energy Association, Brussels

    Google Scholar 

  • Everaert J (2004) Wind turbines and birds in Flanders: preliminary study results and recommendations. Natuur Oriolus 69:145–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Everaert J, Stienen EWM (2007) Impact of wind turbines on birds in Zeebrugge (Belgium). Biodivers Conserv 16:3345–3359. doi:10.1007/s10531-006-9082-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Exo KM, Hüppop O, Garthe S (2003) Birds and offshore wind farms: a hot topic in marine ecology. Wader Stud Group Bull 100:50–53

    Google Scholar 

  • Fox AD, Desholm M, Kahlert J, Christensen TK, Petersen IK (2006) Information needs to support environmental impact assessment of the effects of European marine offshore wind farms on birds. Ibis 148:129–144. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.2006.00510.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garza V, Suárez F, Herranz J, Traba J, De la Morena E, Morales M, Gonzalez R, Castaneda M (2005) Home range, territoriality and habitat selection by the Dupont’s lark Chersophilus duponti during the breeding and post-breeding periods. Ardeola 52:133–146

    Google Scholar 

  • Goiti U, Aihartza J, Almenar D, Salsamendi E, Garin I (2006) Seasonal foraging by Rhinolophus euryale (Rhinolophidae) in an Atlantic rural landscape in northern Iberian Peninsula. Acta Chiropt 8:141–155. doi:10.3161/1733-5329(2006)8[141:SFBRER]2.0.CO;2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • González-Taboada F, Nores C, Álvarez MA (2007) Breeding bird species richness in Spain: assessing diversity hypothesis at various scales. Ecography 30:241–250. doi:10.1111/j.0906-7590.2007.04824.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Instituto para la Diversificación y el Ahorro de la Energía (2007) Situación de la Energía Eólica en España. Madrid. http://www.idae.es. Cited 20 May 2008

  • Jiguet F, Villarubias S (2004) Satellite tracking of breeding black storks Ciconia nigra: new incomes for spatial conservation issues. Biol Conserv 120:153–160. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2004.02.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laiolo P, Tella JL (2006) Fate of unproductive and unattractive habitats: recent changes in Iberian steppes and their effects on endangered avifauna. Environ Conserv 33:223–232. doi:10.1017/S0376892906003146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lobo JM, Castro I, Moreno JC (2001) Spatial and environmental determinants of vascular plant species richness distribution in the Iberian Peninsula and Balearic Islands. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 73:233–253. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2001.tb01360.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Margules CR, Pressey RL (2000) Systematic conservation planning. Nature 405:243–253. doi:10.1038/35012251

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Martí R, del Moral JC (eds) (2003) Atlas de las aves reproductoras de España. Dirección General de Conservación de la Naturaleza. Sociedad Española de Ornitología/BirdLife, Madrid

  • Martín J, Gurrea P (1990) The peninsular effect in Iberian Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea and Hesperoidea). J Biogeogr 17:85–96. doi:10.2307/2845190

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ministerio de Industria Turismo y Comercio (2005) Plan de Energías Renovables en España 2005–2010. Ministerio de Industria, Turismo y Comercio/Instituto para la Diversificación y Ahorro de la Energía, Madrid

  • Ministerio de Industria Turismo y Comercio (2007) Informe de sostenibilidad ambiental y estudio estratégico ambiental del litoral espalo para la instalación de parques eólicos. Ministerio de Industria, Turismo, Instituto para la Diversificación y Ahorro de la Energía, Ministerio de Agricultura Pesca y Alimentación, Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Madrid

  • Morrison ML, Sinclair KC, Thelander CG (2007) A sampling framework for conducting studies of the influence of wind energy developments on birds and other animals. In: De Lucas M, Janss GFE, Ferrer M (eds) Birds and wind farms. Risk assessment and mitigation, vol 101–115. Quercus, Madrid

  • National Wind Coordinating Committee (2002) Wind turbine interactions with birds and bats: a summary of research results and remaining questions. NWCC, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Newton I (1979) Population ecology of raptors. T. & A. D Poyser, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Palomo LJ, Gisbert J (2002) Atlas de los mamíferos terrestres de España. Dirección General de Conservación de la Naturaleza. SECEM—SECEMU, Madrid

  • Percival S (2005) Birds and wind farms: what are the real issues? Br Birds 98:194–204

    Google Scholar 

  • Prendergast JR, Quinn MR, Lawton JH, Eversham BC, Gibbons DW (1993) Rare species, the coincidence of diversity hotspots and conservation strategies. Nature 365:335–337. doi:10.1038/365335a0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramírez A, Tellería JL (2003) Efectos geográficos y ambientales sobre la distribución de las aves forestales ibéricas. Graellsia 59:219–231

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott JM, Schipper J (2006) Gap analysis: a spatial tool for conservation planning. In: Groom MJ, Meffe GK, Ronald Carroll C (eds) Principles of conservation biology. Sinauer, Sunderland

    Google Scholar 

  • Sterner D, Orloff S, Spiegel L (2007) Wind turbine collision research in the United States. In: De Lucas M, Janss GFE, Ferrer M (eds) Birds and wind farms. Risk Assessment and Mitigation. Quercus, Madrid

  • Tellería JL (2009) Potential effects of wind farms on migratory birds in Spain. Bird Conserv Int 19:1–6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Troen I, Petersen EL (1989) European wind Atlas. Risø National Laboratory, Roskilde

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Alvaro Ramírez and Alma Román prepared the data on vertebrate and power plant distribution. Dr. Eduardo De Juana, Dr. Tomás Santos and Dr. Francisco Sánchez-Aguado improved an early version of this manuscript. Kevin Wood (Gabinete Linguístico de la Fundación UCM) reviewed and improved the English version of the article. This research, carried out to answer some of the author’s questions on the potential impact of wind power plants on the Spanish wildlife, has been not funded by any public or private agency.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to José Luis Tellería.

Appendix

Appendix

List of species considered in this study. The conservation status of those species endangered in Spain is indicated. Ex: Extinction risk, Vu: Vulnerable.

Birds: Accipiter gentilis, Acipiter nisus, Aegypius monachus, Alauda arvensis, Anthus campestris, Anthus trivialis, Anthus spinoletta, Apus apus, Apus caffer, Apus melba, Apus pallidus, Aquila adalberti(Ex), Aquila chrysaetos, Buteo buteo, Calandrella brachydactyla, Calandrella rufescens, Caprimulgus europaeus, Caprimulgus ruficollis, Chersophilus duponti (Vu), Ciconia ciconia, Ciconia nigra (Ex), Circaetus gallicus, Circus aeruginosus, Circus cyaneus, Circus pygargus (Vu), Cisticila juncidis, Corvus corax, Delichon urbicum, Elanus caeruleus, Falco eleonorae, Falco naumanni, Falco peregrinus, Falco subbuteo, Falco tinnunculus, Galerida cristata, Galerida theklae, Glareola pratincola, Gypaetus barbatus (Ex), Gyps fulvus, Hieraaetus fasciatus (Vu), Hieraaetus pennatus, Hirundo daurica, Hirundo rustica, Lullula arborea, Melanocorypha calandra, Merops apiaster, Milvus migrans, Milvus milvus (Vu), Neophron percnopterus (Vu), Pandion haliaetus (Vu), Pernis apivorus, Ptyonoprogne rupestris, Riparia riparia, Scolopax rusticola.

Bats: Barbastella basbastellus, Eptesicus serotinus, Miniopterus schreibersi (Vu), Myotis bechsteini (Vu), Myotis capaccinii (Ex), Myotis daubentoni, Myotis emarginatus (Vu), Myotis myotis (Vu), Myotis blythi (Vu), Myotis mystacinus (Vu), Myotis nattereri, Nyctalus lasiopterus (Vu), Nyctalus noctula (Vu), Pipistrellus kuhlii, Pipistrellus nathusii, Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Plecotus auritus, Plecotus austriacus, Rhinolophus euryale (Vu), Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Vu), Rhinolophus hipposideros, Rhinolophus mehelyi (Vu), Tadarida teniotis.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tellería, J.L. Wind power plants and the conservation of birds and bats in Spain: a geographical assessment. Biodivers Conserv 18, 1781–1791 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-008-9558-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-008-9558-2

Keywords

Navigation