scholarly journals Obstacles and Obligations: Wind Energy and Migratory Bird Protection in New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Symone Krimowa
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Environmental Effects ◽  
Wind Farm ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
International Obligations ◽  
Biodiversity Convention

<p>Wind farms create unique risks to birds because of the danger of the turbine blades, which can be up to 150 meters tall. Placement of wind farms in the wrong areas can have a detrimental impact on bird species. New Zealand’s commitment to renewable energy is shared with its obligations to protect biodiversity, which are reflected in the ratification of international conventions such as the Convention on Migratory Species and the Biodiversity Convention. Domestic legislation, such as the Resource Management Act 1991, seeks to enhance the development of alternative sources of energy with the intention of reducing the effects of climate change on the environment and conserving indigenous biodiversity. Migratory bird protection in the wind farm context in New Zealand relies upon environmental impact assessment under Schedule 4 of the Resource Management Act 1991. International obligations include protecting or endeavouring to protect 37 migratory bird species along their complete flight paths. The Resource Management Act 1991 does not meet international obligations to protect migratory birds in the wind farm consent process because (1) the assessment of environmental effects process fails to adequately identify effects on migratory birds; and (2) even if the assessment of environmental effects process adequately identifies effects on migratory birds, the RMA fails to give priority weight to effects on birds when it balances those effects with other factors in deciding to approve the wind farm application. Other countries provide guidance on the next steps for New Zealand to take to comply with its international obligations to migratory birds.</p>

scholarly journals Obstacles and Obligations: Wind Energy and Migratory Bird Protection in New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Symone Krimowa
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Environmental Effects ◽  
Wind Farm ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
International Obligations ◽  
Biodiversity Convention

<p>Wind farms create unique risks to birds because of the danger of the turbine blades, which can be up to 150 meters tall. Placement of wind farms in the wrong areas can have a detrimental impact on bird species. New Zealand’s commitment to renewable energy is shared with its obligations to protect biodiversity, which are reflected in the ratification of international conventions such as the Convention on Migratory Species and the Biodiversity Convention. Domestic legislation, such as the Resource Management Act 1991, seeks to enhance the development of alternative sources of energy with the intention of reducing the effects of climate change on the environment and conserving indigenous biodiversity. Migratory bird protection in the wind farm context in New Zealand relies upon environmental impact assessment under Schedule 4 of the Resource Management Act 1991. International obligations include protecting or endeavouring to protect 37 migratory bird species along their complete flight paths. The Resource Management Act 1991 does not meet international obligations to protect migratory birds in the wind farm consent process because (1) the assessment of environmental effects process fails to adequately identify effects on migratory birds; and (2) even if the assessment of environmental effects process adequately identifies effects on migratory birds, the RMA fails to give priority weight to effects on birds when it balances those effects with other factors in deciding to approve the wind farm application. Other countries provide guidance on the next steps for New Zealand to take to comply with its international obligations to migratory birds.</p>

scholarly journals Using Bioacoustics to Examine Vocal Phenology of Neotropical Migratory Birds on a Wild and Scenic River in Arizona

Birds ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-274
Author(s):  
Heather L. Bateman ◽  
Sidney B. Riddle ◽  
Erin S. Cubley
Keyword(s):  
Sonoran Desert ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Riparian Forest ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Yellow Warbler ◽  
Habitat Features ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Vocal Activity

Passive acoustic recorders have been used successfully as automated survey tools to detect terrestrial wildlife. However, few studies have monitored Neotropical migratory bird use of riparian forest habitat using this technology. Within dryland ecosystems, the forests along rivers support high bird diversity. Many bird species of conservation concern require these floodplain forest habitats for foraging, migration stop-overs, and breeding. Few studies have explored the use of acoustic records in riverine systems designated for conservation for their natural resource value via the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in the USA. Using acoustic recorders, we document vocal activity of four riparian-obligate species (Bell’s Vireo, Vireo bellii; Summer Tanager, Piranga rubra; Yellow Warbler, Setophaga petechial; and Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus) to determine species occurrence along a Wild and Scenic River. We established three study reaches along the perennial Lower Verde River, in the Sonoran Desert of central Arizona, USA. Nine acoustic recorders were used over the period of 80–120 days during the summer of 2018. We measured vegetation composition and structure in 100 m2 plots paired with acoustic recorders. Visualizing vocal activity showed that three species were calling and singing at each reach; whereas, one species, the cuckoo, had fewer recordings and occurred later in the summer. We demonstrate the utility of acoustic monitoring even when applied to rare birds in complex riparian habitats. This information is important for land management and conservation efforts concerning these species of interest and identifying important habitat features in Southwestern US riparian woodlands.

scholarly journals Hunting of migratory birds in North Sinai, Egypt

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
PERRI EASON ◽  
BASEM RABIA ◽  
OMAR ATTUM
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Mp3 Players ◽  
Southern Mediterranean ◽  
Sand Bar ◽  
North Sinai ◽  
Desert Scrub

SummaryDuring autumn migration, people set trammel nets along most of the Mediterranean coast of Egypt, with migrating Common Quail Coturnix coturnix as their primary target. These nets capture large numbers of quail, but also illegally capture other birds, which are then killed. We present the results of surveys from 2008 to 2012 along these lines of nets on the coast of North Sinai, Egypt. In desert scrub, which covers most of the Sinai coast, the mean number of quail killed reached a high of 357.1 per km per day in 2012, with a grand mean over the study period of 191.9 per km per day. Trammel nets also captured 54 other bird species in 28 families. Species captured at the highest rates in desert scrub included Corncrake Crex crex, Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina and Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla. Based on mean rates of capture from 2008 to 2012 in desert scrub and sand bar habitats, we estimate 2.0 million quail and 0.5 million birds of other species are killed annually in North Sinai during the 45 days of peak migration. In 2012, however, after the use of MP3 players to attract quail became widespread, we estimate that 3.3 million quail and 0.5 million other birds were captured. Hunters near the coast have recently begun covering shrubs and trees with mist nets to catch passerines. From 2010 to 2012, mist nets along our survey routes caught birds of 17 species in three families, with seven of these species caught only in this type of net. Hunting is likely to be a contributing factor to population declines for some species that migrate across Egypt and further studies of migratory bird hunting along the southern Mediterranean shore are badly needed.

scholarly journals Methodological Procedure For Pre-Investment Wind Farm Ornithological Monitoring Based On Collision Risk Estimation

Ring ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-30
Author(s):  
Przemysław Busse
Keyword(s):  
Wind Farm ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Most Probable Number ◽  
Collision Risk ◽  
Field Methods ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Probable Number ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Number Of Individuals

ABSTRACT Even though the proportion of wind farm victims compared to general bird species mortality is relatively low, there is necessity to limit direct and indirect losses to the bird populations caused by this kind of human activity. Estimation of threats to the birds resulting from building of wind farms is a very difficult task and it must take into account several constrains. The basic task is to build farms in localities that are the safest to birds. This can be achieved by pre-investment monitoring and direct observations at the spot and then evaluation of potential threats and risks. Field methods typical for the studies on bird populations are usually applied in such monitoring. The procedure described below includes four steps: screening (starts the process and sets preliminary constrains of the location), monitoring (standardised data are collected at the location), estimations of potential collision risk and evaluation of the location. The key parameters determining collision risk of bird species are: (1) the number of individuals utilising the monitored area in different seasons, (2) air space utilization (height and directions of flights), as well as (3) characteristics of the species behaviour. The starting data set contains: species name, number of individuals, height of flight (three layers - below, in, above the rotor), and distance from the observer. The final estimation of the collision index (the most probable number of collisions per turbine a year) is based on (1) estimation of the total number of individuals that use the defined area during a year and (2) estimation of probability that the individual will collide. In the latter (i.e. 2) the most important is that birds can actively avoid passing through the rotor swept (active avoidance rate) and that even birds, which crossed the rotor swept area not necessarily will be killed. Calculations are performed for each species separately and then are summarised to get the farm index as well as season indices. Some values of indices for raptors studied at 76 localities in Poland are given in the table. The final evaluation of the site is made as shown in a parametric analysis table, discussion of cumulative and barrier effects and the discussion of species specific risk to species of high conservation concern.

Bilateral agreements for the protection of migratory birdlife: the implementation of the China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA)

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-159
Author(s):  
Evan Hamman
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
Bilateral Agreements ◽  
Chinese Law ◽  
Effective Conservation

Every year, millions of migratory birds journey along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF). The scope of the EAAF encompasses Asia Pacific nations like Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. The effective conservation of these birds rests upon the implementation of bilateral legal agreements as well as non-binding regional initiatives along this North-South nexus. This article evaluates the implementation of one of the most important bilateral bird agreements in the region – the China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA). The main obligations in CAMBA are identified; as are the legal initiatives adopted by both China and Australia which reflect CAMBA's obligations. Whilst Australian law makes specific reference to CAMBA, Chinese law is far less direct, though perhaps no less effective. The argument is made that the findings in this article have relevance for an improved understanding of the mechanisms for transboundary governance of migratory birdlife, especially in the Asia Pacific.

scholarly journals Regional Variability in New Zealand’s Wind Resource Linked to Synoptic-Scale Circulation: Implications for Generation Reliability

2015 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
pp. 944-958 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter B. Gibson ◽  
Nicolas J. Cullen
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Wind Farm ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Synoptic Climatology ◽  
Synoptic Scale ◽  
Regional Variability ◽  
Zero Generation ◽  
Wind Resources ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Supply Reliability

AbstractEven in locations endowed with excellent wind resources, the intermittent nature of wind is perceived as a barrier to reliable generation. However, recent studies have demonstrated that electrically interconnecting wind farms in a meteorologically oriented network can reduce supply variability and the observed frequency of zero-generation conditions. In this study a 5-yr synthetic dataset of 15 wind farms is utilized to investigate the benefits to supply reliability from wind farm interconnection in New Zealand. An examination is carried out primarily through a synoptic climatology framework, hypothesizing that benefits to reliability are primarily related to the degree to which wind farms are influenced differently by the synoptic-scale circulation. Using a weather-typing approach and composite analysis, regionality is observed in the linkages between synoptic-scale circulation and wind resources, particularly between wind farms located in the far northern and far southern regions of the country. Subsequently, and as compared with all other possible combinations, supply reliability is observed to be optimized in a network that includes wind farms connected between far northern and far southern regions, under which the frequency of hours with zero generation is almost eliminated. It is likely that the frequency of hours with zero generation could be further reduced on the basis of a more extensive meteorologically based selection of wind data from a greater number of locations. It is suggested that these findings should be taken into consideration in future planning and site selection of wind farm projects in New Zealand.

scholarly journals Creating Synthetic Wind Speed Time Series for 15 New Zealand Wind Farms

2011 ◽  
Vol 50 (12) ◽  
pp. 2394-2409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Turner ◽  
Xiaogu Zheng ◽  
Neil Gordon ◽  
Michael Uddstrom ◽  
Greg Pearson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Wind Farm ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Practical Method ◽  
Wind Data ◽  
Regulatory Oversight ◽  
Short Period

AbstractWind data at time scales from 10 min to 1 h are an important input for modeling the performance of wind farms and their impact on many countries’ national electricity systems. Planners need long-term realistic (i.e., meteorologically spatially and temporally consistent) wind-farm data for projects studying how best to integrate wind power into the national electricity grid. In New Zealand, wind data recorded at wind farms are confidential for commercial reasons, however, and publicly available wind data records are for sites that are often not representative of or are distant from wind farms. In general, too, the public sites are at much lower terrain elevations than hilltop wind farms and have anemometers located at 10 m above the ground, which is much lower than turbine hub height. In addition, when available, the mast records from wind-farm sites are only for a short period. In this paper, the authors describe a novel and practical method to create a multiyear 10-min synthetic wind speed time series for 15 wind-farm sites throughout the country for the New Zealand Electricity Commission. The Electricity Commission (known as the Electricity Authority since 1 October 2010) is the agency that has regulatory oversight of the electricity industry and that provides advice to central government. The dataset was constructed in such a way as to preserve meteorological realism both spatially and temporally and also to respect the commercial secrecy of the wind data provided by power-generation companies.

scholarly journals Hazards of wind turbines on avifauna - a preliminary appraisal within the Indian context

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 15414-15425
Author(s):  
Himika Deb ◽  
Tanmay Sanyal ◽  
Anilava Kaviraj ◽  
Subrata Saha
Keyword(s):  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
World Heritage Site ◽  
Sensing Technology ◽  
Heritage Site ◽  
Unesco World Heritage Site ◽  
Black Duck ◽  
American Black Duck

Wind farms are substantial sources of renewable energy in India; however, their spread across the country potentially present new hazards to local and migratory birds.  This study explored the risk of electrocution and collision of birds with wind turbines close to eco-sensitive zones in India, including Bakkhali, a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Geographic information system and remote sensing technology were used.  The results indicate vulnerability of local bird species such as barn owl, Indian Scops Owl, Blue Rock Pigeon, Asian Koel, House Crow, Common Sandpiper, Common Snipe, Ruddy Shelduck, Lesser Whistling Duck, Cattle Egret, Great Egret, and Pond Herons, as well as migratory species such as Bar-headed Goose, Red-crested Pochard, and American Black Duck.  Modification of wind turbine design and location were considered determinant factors to reduce risk of bird collisions.

Detecting transmission areas of malaria parasites in a migratory bird species

Parasitology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 142 (9) ◽  
pp. 1215-1220 ◽  
Author(s):  
LUZ GARCIA-LONGORIA ◽  
OLOF HELLGREN ◽  
STAFFAN BENSCH ◽  
FLORENTINO DE LOPE ◽  
ALFONSO MARZAL
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Allelic Diversity ◽  
Surface Protein ◽  
Merozoite Surface Protein ◽  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Different Strains

SUMMARYThe identification of the regions where vector-borne diseases are transmitted is essential to study transmission patterns and to recognize future changes in environmental conditions that may potentially influence the transmission areas. SGS1, one of the lineages of Plasmodium relictum, is known to have active transmission in tropical Africa and temperate regions of Europe. Nuclear sequence data from isolates infected with SGS1 (based on merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP1) allelic diversity) have provided new insights on the distribution and transmission areas of these allelic variants. For example, MSP1 alleles transmitted in Africa differ from those transmitted in Europe, suggesting the existence of two populations of SGS1 lineages. However, no study has analysed the distribution of African and European transmitted alleles in Afro-Palearctic migratory birds. With this aim, we used a highly variable molecular marker to investigate whether juvenile house martins become infected in Europe before their first migration to Africa. We explored the MSP1 allelic diversity of P. relictum in adult and juvenile house martins. We found that juveniles were infected with SGS1 during their first weeks of life, confirming active transmission of SGS1 to house martins in Europe. Moreover, we found that all the juveniles and most of adults were infected with one European transmitted MSP1 allele, whereas two adult birds were infected with two African transmitted MSP1 alleles. These findings suggest that house martins are exposed to different strains of P. relictum in their winter and breeding quarters.

scholarly journals Minimising Community Opposition to Wind Farm Developments in New Zealand: Opportunities in Renewable Energy Planning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Christian Berg
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Wind Farm ◽  
Public Involvement ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Benefit Sharing ◽  
Community Consultation ◽  
Consultation Process ◽  
Public Opposition

<p>The erection of wind turbines, depending on their location, could significantly interfere with appreciated landscape values of a community, and consequently lead to its objection to a proposed wind energy project. This study explores possible options, which can be applied within the community consultation process to reduce the likelihood of substantial public opposition to wind farm developments in New Zealand. The research topic was chosen to support wind farm planners and decision makers in the consultation process for wind farm developments in order to increase public acceptance of a proposed project, to evaluate possibilities of benefit sharing and public involvement, to select the most appropriate level of community participation in the planning process and consequently to enhance the ability in gaining resource consent under the Resource Management Act 1991. The investigation covers the sequential development of public attitudes towards wind farms, the wider spectrum of public opposition, including vocalised reasons and hidden arguments, community consultation approaches and the different levels of public involvement. The applied methodology for this research comprises a case study approach concerning a New Zealand wind farm including an analysis of submissions made into the resource consent process, follow-up interviews with affected stakeholders, an interview with a wind farm developer, and a comprehensive text analysis. There are various opportunities to increase acceptance of wind farms including aesthetical design, sensitive siting, a pro-active approach, stakeholder analysis, participation and community ownership schemes. The results also demonstrate that increased community involvement may potentially satisfy consulted stakeholders, but could jeopardise obtaining resource consent under the current planning regime.</p>

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