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Ecological impact assessments fail to reduce risk of bat casualties at wind farms

Lintott, Paul; Richardson, Suzanne; Hosken, David; Fensome, Sophie; Mathews, Fiona

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Authors

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Paul Lintott Paul.Lintott@uwe.ac.uk
Senior Lecturer in Conservation Science

Suzanne Richardson

David Hosken

Sophie Fensome

Fiona Mathews



Abstract

Demand for renewable energy is rising exponentially. While this has benefits in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, there may be costs to biodiversity [1]. Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) are the main tool used across the world to predict the overall positive and negative effects of renewable energy developments before planning consent is given, and the Ecological Impact Assessments (EcIAs) within them assess their species-specific effects. Given that EIAs are undertaken globally, are extremely expensive, and are enshrined in legislation, their place in evidence-based decision making deserves evaluation. Here we assess how well EIAs of wind-farm developments protect bats. We found they do not predict the risks to bats accurately, and even in those cases where high risk was correctly identified, the mitigation deployed did not avert the risk. Given that the primary purpose of an EIA is to make planning decisions evidence-based, our results indicate that EIA mitigation strategies used to date have been ineffective in protecting bats. In the future, greater emphasis should be placed on assessing the actual impacts post-construction and on developing effective mitigation strategies.

Citation

Lintott, P., Richardson, S., Hosken, D., Fensome, S., & Mathews, F. (2016). Ecological impact assessments fail to reduce risk of bat casualties at wind farms. Current Biology, 26(21), R1135-R1136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.10.003

Journal Article Type Letter
Acceptance Date Sep 21, 2016
Online Publication Date Nov 7, 2016
Publication Date Nov 7, 2016
Deposit Date Nov 10, 2017
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Current Biology
Print ISSN 0960-9822
Publisher Elsevier (Cell Press)
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 26
Issue 21
Pages R1135-R1136
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.10.003
Keywords ecological impact assessments, fail, reduce risk, bat casualties, wind farms
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/906375
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.10.003

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