Peddie Wind Energy Facility Project AVIFAUNA IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Transcription

1 Peddie Wind Energy Facility Project AVIFAUNA IMPACT ASSESSMENT Prepared by: Prepared for: WildSkies Ecological Services Jon Smallie South Africa P.O. Box 934, Grahamstown 6140 South Africa February 2012

2 This report should be cited as follows: Smallie, J., February Proposed Peddie Wind Energy Project: Avifauna Impact Specialist Study, WildSkies Ecological Services, South Africa COPYRIGHT INFORMATION This document contains intellectual property and propriety information that is protected by copyright in favour of and the specialist consultants. The document may therefore not be reproduced, used or distributed to any third party without the prior written consent of. This document is prepared exclusively for submission to Proposed Peddie Energy IPP (Pty) Limited, and is subject to all confidentiality, copyright and trade secrets, rules intellectual property law and practices of South Africa. i

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This study assesses the potential interactions between birds and the proposed Peddie Wind Energy Facility, located immediately north of the village of Peddie in the former Transkei, Eastern Cape. The following are key characteristics of the receiving environment: Most of the site, particularly the current turbine positions, consists of open grassland, with thicket and thornveld present in the drainage lines and in the far north close to the gravel road. Several small drainage lines exist on site, and there are also several small dams, wetlands and natural pans. Most of these sources of surface water are very small, but still represent an important bird micro habitat. In general terms the site does not fall within an area of very high bird diversity. Up to approximately 172 bird species could occur on site, with 10 of these species being Red Listed by Barnes (2000). Of these species, the following have been selected as the target species for this study, i.e. those species for which there is special concern related to the proposed WEF: African Crowned Eagle Stephanoaetus coronatus; African Fish-Eagle Haliaeetus vocifer; Black Harrier Circus maurus; Black Sparrowhawk Accipiter melanoleucus; Denham's Bustard Neotis denhami; Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus; Martial Eagle Polemaetus bellicosus; Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk Melierax canorus; Verreaux's Eagle Aquila verreauxii; White Stork Ciconia ciconia; White-bellied Korhaan Eupodotis senegalensis; Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus; Booted Eagle Aquila pennatus; Jackal Buzzard Buteo rufofuscus; Steppe Buzzard Buteo vulpinus; Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni and Black (Yellow-billed) Kite Milvus migrans. The expected interactions between birds and the proposed wind energy facility, and all associated components are: disturbance of birds; habitat destruction during construction and maintenance of the facility and associated infrastructure; displacement of birds from the area, or from flying over the area; collision of birds with turbine blades during operation; and collision and electrocution of birds on associated electrical infrastructure. With respect to these impacts, the following are the key findings and recommendations: The impacts of disturbance and habitat destruction, and displacement of birds, associated with all components of the project are anticipated to be of low significance due to the already highly disturbed nature of the study area, the relatively small amount of habitat destruction that will take place, and the relatively low importance of this site for populations of the relevant species. The impacts of collision of birds with turbine blades is also likely to be of low significance due to the low likelihood of sensitive species frequenting this site, but this is the area where we have the lowest confidence based on the lack of data on bird movement across the site. Although the site itself is not believed to be that important for the relevant bird species, they could still cross the site, thereby ii

4 placing themselves at risk of collision with the turbine blades. It is primarily for this reason that a thorough pre and post construction monitoring programme is recommended. A sensitivity map of the site has been developed, and identifies the dams, pans and drainage lines as being of medium sensitivity. These areas are buffered by 300m in the case of the dams and pans, and 100m for the drainage lines. No construction of infrastructure should taken place within these areas. It is recommended that a pre- and post construction bird monitoring programme be conducted at this site, and the nature of this programme has been outlined in the main report. The findings of this programme should influence the final layout of infrastructure on site if necessary. Due to the small size of the site, and general characteristics of the area, the monitoring programme will be kept to an absolute minimum in terms of monitoring effort, most likely comprising 4-6 days on site 4 times in a 12 month period. It is important that a site specific Environmental Management Plan be compiled once the position of all infrastructure is final, and this stage be used to provide final avifaunal input into infrastructure siting and any other necessary mitigation aspects, based on data emanating from the recommended monitoring programme. iii

5 DECLARATION OF CONSULTANTS INDEPENDENCE & QUALIFICATIONS Jon Smallie (Avifaunal Specialist WildSkies Ecological Services) is an independent consultant to (Pty) Ltd. Mr Smallie has no business, financial, personal or other interest in the activity, application or appeal in respect of which he was appointed other than fair remuneration for work performed in connection with the activity, application or appeal. There are no circumstances that compromise the objectivity of this specialist performing such work. Mr. Smallie is registered with The South African Council for Natural Scientific Professionals (400020/06). He has twelve years of experience in the field of bird interactions with electrical and energy infrastructure and has, relevant to this study, conducted avifaunal impact assessments for at least 15 wind energy projects. He is a founding member of the Birds and Wind Energy Specialist Group in South Africa. The findings, results, observations, conclusions and recommendations given in this report are based on the author s best scientific and professional knowledge as well as available information. 17 February

6 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION STUDY METHODOLOGY Approach Data sources used Limitations & assumptions Background to the study Background to interactions between wind energy facilities and birds Factors influencing bird collisions with turbines Potential explanations for collisions of birds with turbines: Mitigation measures Description of the proposed energy facility DESCRIPTION OF RECEIVING ENVIRONMENT Study area vegetation Bird micro habitats Bird presence in the study area ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS OF PROPOSED FACILITY Wind energy facility Associated infrastructure SENSITIVITY MAPPING FOR THE PROPOSED SITE Site monitoring programme IMPACT STATEMENT REFERENCES

7 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Layout of the study area showing the proposed site for the Peddie Energy Facility Figure 2 Vegetation classification (Mucina & Rutherford, 2006) for the Peddie Wind Energy Facility study area. Lightly shaded areas are Great Fish Thicket and dark khaki areas are Bhisho Thornveld.... Error! Bookmark not defined. Figure 3. Examples of micro habitats present on or near site. From top left: thornveld; dam; wetland; grassland; arable land; and pan Figure 4. Sensitivity map for the Peddie Wind Energy Facility Site. Light hatching indicates low sensitivity areas, whilst dark hatching indicates medium sensitivity. Turbine positions and the position of the measuring mast are shown with black dots and labelled LIST OF TABLES Table 1 - Red Data species recorded in the quarter degree square (3327AA) covering the study area during the Southern African Bird Atlas Project (Harrison et al, 1997) Table 2. Summary of the one card submitted for Pentad 3305_2705 as part of the Southern African Bird Atlas Project Table 3. Assessment of the impacts of the operational phase of the Wind Energy Facility and associated infrastructure on birds

8 1 INTRODUCTION Innowind (Pty) Ltd. (hereafter Innowind) plan to construct a wind energy facility in the Eastern Cape close to the village of Peddie, in the former Ciskei. (CES) was appointed to conduct the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), and subsequently appointed WildSkies Ecological Services - Jon Smallie to conduct the specialist avifaunal assessment. This study investigates the potential impacts of the proposed facility on the birds of the area. Typically a wind energy facility of this nature can be expected to impact on avifauna as follows: disturbance of birds; and habitat destruction during construction and maintenance of the facility and associated infrastructure; displacement of birds from the area, or from flying over the area; collision of birds with turbine blades during operation; and collision and electrocution of birds on associated electrical infrastructure. The likelihood and significance of each of these impacts will be investigated further in this study. Although a full discussion of the potential pros and cons of different forms of energy production are beyond the scope of this study, it is important to view the current proposed development as exactly what it is, a move away from South Africa s inappropriate dependence on fossil fuel based energy production to date. In the long term, a shift towards reducing greenhouse gas emission will benefit all biodiversity, including birds. Whilst the long term effects of our energy choices should be kept in mind whilst compiling this assessment, it is also critical in the shorter term to minimize direct impacts on our birds, or for some species with small populations the longer term benefits of renewable energy will come too late. 7

9 2 STUDY METHODOLOGY 2.1 Approach This study followed the following steps:» An extensive review of available international literature pertaining to bird interactions with wind energy facilities was undertaken in order to fully understand the issues involved and the current level of knowledge in this field. This international knowledge was then adapted to local conditions and species as far as possible in order to identify important or target species for this study.» The various data sets listed below, and the study area were examined to determine the likelihood of these relevant species on or near the site.» The potential impacts of the proposed facility on these species were described and evaluated.» Sensitive areas within the proposed site, where the above impacts are likely to occur, were identified using various GIS (Geographic Information System) layers and Google Earth.» Recommendations were made for the management and mitigation of impacts. 2.2 Data sources used The following data sources and reports were used in varying levels of detail for this study:» The Southern African Bird Atlas Project data (SABAP1 - Harrison et al, 1997) for the quarter degree squares (33327AA) covering the site. The Southern African Bird Atlas Project 2 data was also consulted at but unfortunately was of very limited use due to the poor coverage of this area to date.» The Important Bird Areas report (IBA - Barnes 1998) was consulted to determine the location of the nearest IBA s and their importance for this study. There are no IBA s close to the proposed site, the closest being SA092 Amatole Forest Complex 35km north, and SA094 - Alexandria Coastal belt 75km south.» The Co-ordinated Avifaunal Roadcount (Barnes 2003) project data was consulted to determine whether any CAR routes exist close to the site, thereby providing useful data. There are no routes close to the Peddie site.» The Co-ordinated Waterbird count (CWAC) project was also consulted, but the closest sites are on the coast and not relevant to the Peddie site.» The conservation status of all relevant bird species was determined using Barnes (2000)» The latest vegetation classification of South Africa (Mucina & Rutherford, 2006) was consulted in order to determine which vegetation types occur on site. 2.3 Limitations & assumptions 8

10 » Any inaccuracies in the above sources of information could limit this study. In particular, the SABAP1 data is now fairly old (Harrison et al, 1997), but no reliable more recent data on bird species presence and abundance in the study area exists, since SABAP2 coverage is not yet adequate for this study area.» This study relies entirely upon secondary data sources with regards to bird abundances such as the SABAP1 (Harrison et al, 1997). However, primary information on bird habitat was collected during the site visit and is used directly in determining which species are likely to occur where on site.» The position of associated infrastructure such as the necessary power lines on site and to connect to the grid, and roads on site has not yet been finalized. 9

11 3 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY 3.1 Background to interactions between wind energy facilities and birds The South African experience of wind energy generation has been extremely limited to date. By necessity, much of what we know about birds and wind energy is based on international literature, primarily from the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Australia and Canada. Most of the principles that have been learnt internationally can, to a certain extent, be applied locally, with care to adapt existing international knowledge to local bird species and conditions. An additional challenge is that much of the international literature is so called grey literature, i.e. published in proceedings, consultant reports and unpublished reports not peer reviewed journals. Wind energy facilities can impact on birds through three main mechanisms: destruction or alteration of natural bird habitat during the construction and maintenance of the facility; disturbance of birds on the site and displacement of birds from the area; and direct mortality through collision with turbine blades. Most literature also focuses on the impact of collision of birds with turbines, giving less attention to the impacts of habitat destruction and disturbance or displacement of birds. A relatively recent summary of the available literature entitled Wind Turbines and Birds, a background review for environmental assessment by Kingsley & Whittam (2005) and the Avian Literature Database of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory ( have been used extensively in the discussion below. Concern for the avian impacts of wind energy facilities first arose in the 1980 s when raptor mortalities were detected in California (Altamont Pass - US) and at Tarifa (Spain). The Altamont Pass and Tarifa sites were the site of some extremely high levels of bird mortalities. These mortalities focused attention on the impact of wind energy on birds, and subsequently a large amount of monitoring at various sites has been undertaken. Naturally, as more monitoring was conducted at different sites, a need arose for a standard means of expressing the levels of bird mortalities in this case, number of mortalities per turbine per year. The resulting collision rates have varied significantly across different countries and sites, from as little as zero to as many as 10 birds per turbine per year. It is also important to note that searcher efficiency (and independence) and scavenger removal rates need to be accounted for. Searcher efficiency refers to the percentage of bird mortalities that are detected by searchers, searcher independence refers to whether the person monitoring has certain objectives of their own which may influence the results of monitoring. In South Africa to date, only eight wind turbines have been constructed, 3 at a demonstration facility at Klipheuwel in the Western Cape, in 2002 and 2003, 4 at a site near Darling (although access to these for the purpose of monitoring bird impacts has been restricted), and 1 at Coega near Port 10

12 Elizabeth. A monitoring program, conducted by Jacques Kuyler (2004), was put in place once the 3 Klipheuwel turbines were operational, and found two bird collisions with blades, a Horus Swift Apus Horus and a Thick-billed Lark Rhamphocoris clotbey, equating to an estimated 1 bird mortality per turbine per year Factors influencing bird collisions with turbines A number of factors influence the number of birds killed at wind farms. These can be classified into three broad groupings: bird related information; site related information and facility related information. Bird related information Although only one study has so far shown a direct relationship between numbers of birds present in an area and number of collisions (Everaert, 2003, Belgium) it stands to reason that the more birds flying through the area of the turbines, the more chance of collisions occurring. The particular bird species present in the area is also very important as some species are more vulnerable to collision with turbines than others. Bird behaviour and activity differs between species with certain hunting behaviours rendering certain species more vulnerable. For example a falcon stooping after prey is (possibly) too focused on its prey to notice the presence of infrastructure. There may also be seasonal and temporal differences in behaviour, for example breeding males displaying may be particularly at risk. These factors can all influence the birds vulnerability. Birds are believed to be capable of learning to avoid obstacles with sufficient time living in an area. Whilst all birds face some inherent risk of impact by wind turbines, there are definitely certain groups that are more at risk due to their flight behavior or habitat preferences (Jordan & Smallie, 2010). These authors summarized knowledge from the European Union, United Kingdom, United States, Canada and Australia to identify the following taxonomic groups as being affected most by wind energy facilities: Podicipediformes, Pelicaniformes, Ciconiiformes, Anseriformes, Falconiformes, Charadriformes, Strigiformes, Caprimulgiformes, Gruiformes, Galliformes, Psittaciformes, Passeriformes. In determining which species are likely to be at risk at wind energy facilities in South Africa, the above groups form a useful starting point. Site information Landscape features can potentially channel or funnel birds towards a certain area, and in the case of raptors, influence their flight and foraging behaviour. Elevation, ridges and slopes are all important factors in determining the extent to which an area is used by birds in flight. High levels of prey will attract raptors, increasing the time spent hunting, and as a result reducing the time spent being observant. Certain sites are also vulnerable to poor weather such as mist, which may influence the bird collision risk. 11

13 Facility information According to Kingsley & Whittam (2005), More turbines will result in more collisions. Although only two mortalities have been recorded at Klipheuwel, the difference between the 3 turbines at Klipheuwel and a potential approximately 16 turbines at the proposed Peddie Wind Energy Facility is significant and largely renders comparisons and extrapolations meaningless. Larger facilities also have greater potential for disturbance and habitat destruction, and displacement of birds from the area. With newer technology and larger turbines, fewer turbines are needed for the same quantity of power generation, possibly resulting in fewer mortalities per MW of power produced (Erickson et al, 1999). Lighting of turbines and other infrastructure has the potential to attract birds, thereby increasing the risk of collisions with turbines. Erickson et al (2001) suggest that lighting is the single most critical attractant leading to collisions with tall structures. Changing constant lighting to intermittent lighting has been shown to reduce attraction (Richardson 2000) and mortality (APLIC, 1994; Jaroslow, 1979; Weir, 1976) and changing white flood light to red flood light resulted in an 80% reduction in mortality (Weir, 1976). Infrastructure associated with the facility often also impacts on birds. Overhead power lines pose a collision and possibly an electrocution threat to certain bird species. Furthermore, the construction and maintenance of the power lines will result in some disturbance and habitat destruction. New access roads, substations and offices constructed will also have a disturbance and habitat destruction impact. Collision with power lines is one of the biggest single threats facing birds in southern Africa (van Rooyen 2004). Most heavily impacted upon are bustards, storks, cranes and various species of water birds. These species are mostly heavy-bodied birds with limited maneuverability, which makes it difficult for them to take the necessary evasive action to avoid colliding with power lines (van Rooyen 2004, Anderson 2001). Unfortunately, many of the collision sensitive species are considered threatened in southern Africa. The Red Listed species vulnerable to power line collisions are generally long living, slow reproducing species under natural conditions. The collision risk of the proposed power lines has been assessed elsewhere in this study. Electrocution refers to the scenario where a bird is perched or attempts to perch on the electrical structure and causes an electrical short circuit by physically bridging the air gap between live components and/or live and earthed components (van Rooyen 2004). The larger bird species are most affected since they are most capable of bridging critical clearances on hardware. The electrocution risk of the proposed 132kV and smaller lines has been assessed in more detail below. 12

14 Spacing between turbines at a wind facility can have an effect on the number of collisions. Some authors have suggested that paths need to be left between turbines so that birds can move along these paths, whilst others have argued that these gaps result in more collisions Potential explanations for collisions of birds with turbines: The three main hypotheses proposed for birds not seeing turbine blades are as follows (Hodos, 2002):» An inability to divide attention between prey and obstacles. This seems an unlikely explanation as birds have been found to maintain good acuity in the peripheral vision, have different foveal region in the eye for frontal and ground vision and they have various other optical methods for keeping objects at different distances simultaneously in focus.» The phenomenon of motion smear or retinal blur, whereby an image passing over the retina repeatedly becomes invisible at a certain speed.» The angle of approach. If a bird approaches from side on to the turbine, the blades present a very small profile and are even more difficult to detect. Mitigation measures should therefore focus on solving the problem of motion smear both from front and side angles Mitigation measures Whilst bird mortalities have been comprehensively documented at numerous sites world-wide, very little has been written about the potential methods of reducing the level of mortalities, perhaps because little mitigation has been implemented post construction. Potential mitigation measures include: alternative turbine designs (such as vertical axis turbines); painting turbine blades (tested only in laboratory conditions to date); anti perching devices; construction of shielding pylons; curtailment of turbines during high risk periods; shutdown of certain high risk turbines; and altering blade height to pose less risk within the birds preferred height strata. Most of these suggested measures are either untested, impractical or unlikely to be implemented by the operator post construction. The primary means of mitigating impacts on birds therefore remains correct siting of both the entire facility and individual turbines. 3.2 Description of the proposed energy facility The proposed activity is the establishment of a wind energy facility (WEF) and associated infrastructure. The proposed facility would include:» Up to approximately 16 wind turbines with foundations to support the turbine towers; 13

15 » Cabling between turbines, to be lain underground where practical;» A substation to facilitate the connection to the grid» Overhead power lines feeding into the existing Eskom grid» Internal access roads to each wind turbine.» Workshop area for maintenance and storage if required. The project is proposed for the area immediately east of the village of Peddie. This is community owned land. At this time there is no alternative site for consideration for the overall energy facility. Alternatives exist within the site for the substation and power line positioning. Figure 1 below shows the location of the proposed site for the Peddie Energy Facility. Figure 1 Layout of the study area showing the proposed site for the Peddie Energy Facility. 14

16 4 DESCRIPTION OF RECEIVING ENVIRONMENT 4.1 Study area vegetation The following description of the vegetation on the site focuses on the vegetation structure and not species composition. It is widely accepted within ornithological circles that vegetation structure and not species composition is most important in determining which bird species will occur there. The classification of vegetation types below is from Mucina & Rutherford (2006). Figure 2 Vegetation classification (Mucina & Rutherford, 2006) for the Peddie Wind Energy Facility study area. Lightly shaded areas are Great Fish Thicket and dark khaki areas are Bhisho Thornveld. The majority of the affected area is classified as Great Fish Thicket, with a small area of Bhisho Thornveld to the south of the site. Field work has revealed that much of the study area is actually open grassland on the ground, with thicket being confined to the areas with slope, in the drainage lines and in the far north of the study area. The relevance of this vegetation classification to the avifauna of the area is that a variety of habitat is provided, which can accommodate both the species mostly dependant on shorter grassland, and those dependant on the taller thicket and woodland. This is reflected in the species composition for the study area, shown in Table 1 below 15

17 and Appendix 2. Both thornveld/bushveld species such as Martial Eagle Polemaetus bellicosus and African Crowned Eagle Stephanoaetus coronatus, and open grassland species such as Black Harrier Circus maurus and White-bellied Korhaan Eupodotis senegalensis reportedly occur in the area. 4.2 Bird micro habitats The above vegetation description partially describes the habitat available and hence the species likely to occur in the study area. However, more detail is required in order to understand exactly where within the study area certain species will occur and how suitable these areas are for the relevant species. The habitats available to birds at a small spatial scale are known as micro habitats. These micro habitats are formed by a combination of factors such as vegetation, land use, anthropogenic factors, topography and others. These micro habitats will be critically important in mapping the sensitivity of the site and siting the proposed turbines within the affected farms. The following micro habitats were found on site (pictured in Figure 3): Thicket or thornveld: This habitat is composed of woody vegetation and is situated primarily in the drainage lines and in the far north of the Peddie site, more towards the Keiskamma River valley. In this micro habitat, the species that are of concern for wind farms are primarily the raptors, such as Martial Eagle at this site. Dams: There are several small farm dams on and near the site. Although these are artificial habitats created by man, they represent an important opportunity for species closely associated with water to expand their ranges into areas where it would previously have not been possible. In this study area various ducks and grebes, and Egyptian Goose, herons, ibises and egrets will utilise these areas. African Fish Eagle could also make brief visits to the dams, although the dams are probable too small to sustain frequent occurrence of this species. Wetlands and pans: Several small pans exist in the study area. Where these are situated in grassland, the wetland vegetation is low and the pan remains fairly open, whereas the wetlands in the ticket areas contain taller reed vegetation and are quite dense, providing shelter for shy, secretive bird species. The wetlands and pans are sensitive habitats that should be avoided by the proposed development. They are also important factors determining the movement of birds within and around the site. Grasslands: Although classified as thicket and thornveld by Mucina et al (2005), much of the site is in fact grassland. These areas typically provide habitat for a set of bird species which comprises predominantly small terrestrials such as larks and pipits, and large terrestrials such as cranes, storks and bustards. Certain raptors also favour foraging over these open areas, such as harriers 16

18 and Black-shouldered Kites. On this site, there are not many sensitive species that are expected to occur frequently on site, as discussed elsewhere in this report. Arable lands: Arable lands represent important foraging areas for various bird species which take advantage of the seed, seedlings, insects and small mammals that occur in these lands at various stages of the crop cycle. During winter, arable lands sometimes represent the only source of green vegetation in the area, particularly if irrigated. Species likely to use these areas include geese, herons, storks and various others. Fortunately there appear to be no arable lands on the site itself, but there are some small lands nearby, which will still influence bird abundance and movement in the area. Drainage lines and streams: the site is bisected by small drainage lines, mostly draining in a south easterly direction off the site. As mentioned elsewhere in this report, these areas are home to more woody thornveld vegetation and as such can attract certain bird species that would not exist in the area if it were purely grassland. These drainage lines also represent the low topographic areas in the landscape and are favoured by various bird species as flight paths for them to commute around the area. These lower areas require less energy consumption by a bird in flight than the alternative of gaining altitude to cross high ground repeatedly. Although no true rivers exist on site, the Keiskamma River is situated approximately 4 kilometres north of the site. In our opinion this river is unlikely to have a major effect on the species occurring on or moving across the proposed development site. The river is relatively far from the site, and surrounded by very different vegetation type (thicket) and topography. As a result this river is not considered or discussed further in this report. 17

19 Figure 3. Examples of micro habitats present on or near site. From top left: thornveld; dam; wetland; grassland; arable land; and pan. 4.3 Bird presence in the study area Table 1 lists the Red Data bird species recorded by the SABAP1 (Harrison et al, 1997) in the quarter degree square covering the study area, i.e. 3327AA. The total number of all species recorded and the number of cards (counts) submitted per square is 172 and 35 respectively. The number of cards can be used as an indicator of our confidence in that particular report rate. If lots of cards have been submitted our confidence in the data is higher, and vice versa. This square has been relatively thoroughly counted (35 cards). Report rates are essentially percentages of the number of times a species was recorded in the square, divided by the number of times that square was counted. It is important to note that this data provides an indication of which species could occur on the proposed site. The species in Table 1 were recorded in the entire quarter degree square in each case, and may not actually have been recorded on the proposed site for this study. In general terms this site does not contain a very high diversity of bird species. In total 10 Red Data species were recorded in 3327AA, comprising 4 Vulnerable and 6 Near-threatened species (Table 18

20 1). In addition, the White Stork Ciconia ciconia was included in Table 1 as it is afforded protection internationally under the Bonn Convention on Migratory Species. The Hamerkop Scopus umbretta was also included, as the recent second bird atlas project is discovering that this species range has become severely restricted and the species may require conservation attention. Table 1 - Red Data species recorded in the quarter degree square (3327AA) covering the study area during the Southern African Bird Atlas Project (Harrison et al, 1997) Conser 3327A A Preferred micro habitat Likelihoo d of Robert s # Common name Scientific name vation status Report rate occurrin g on site site 81 Hamerkop Scopus umbretta ** (14.2% ) Closely associated with water Grassland, wetland, arable land Possible Possible Ciconia White Stork ciconia BONN ( 2.8%) 84 Black Stork Ciconia nigra NT Riverine, cliff Unlikely Low Relative importa nce of Yellow-billed Wetland, river, Unlikely Low 90 Stork Mycteria ibis NT floodplain African Stephanoaet Indigenous forest Possible Low 141 Crowned Eagle us coronatus NT Circus Grassland, Possible Low 168 Black Harrier maurus NT wetland Falco Grassland, arable Possible Low 172 Lanner Falcon biarmicus NT land Knysna Campethera Indigenous forest, Possible Low 484 Woodpecker notata NT thicket Polemaetus Thicket, woodland Possible Low 140 Martial Eagle bellicosus V Podica Riverine Unlikely Low 229 African Finfoot senegalensis V Denham's Neotis Grassland, arable Possible Low 231 Bustard denhami V land White-bellied Eupodotis Grassland Possible Low 233 Korhaan senegalensis V V = Vulnerable; NT = Near-threatened; BONN = Protected Internationally under the Bonn Convention on Migratory Species. Low Low The likelihood of each species actually occurring on or close to the proposed site has also been specified in Table 1, based on ornithological experience and assessment of available habitat on site. All of the species have at least a possibility of occurring on the site, but in all cases, the site is of relatively low importance for the species. This is because these species have strong, stable populations elsewhere in the country and this study area is not a stronghold for them, nor does it represent a significant proportion of the total amount of this habitat available to birds in this broader area. The fact that the site is of low importance for most species reduces the significance of any potential impacts, as described in the impact assessment section elsewhere in this study. 19

21 Assessing the impacts on the species in Table 1 potentially covers impacts on other species from these groupings that were not recorded but may occur on the site. This study concentrates on assessing the impacts on the Red Listed species as these are the species of most conservation concern, and are often the species most sensitive to any artificial impacts. However, impacts on non Red Listed species that are believed to be relevant to this study are also considered. In particular, non Red Listed species groups such as raptors, owls, lapwings, waterfowl, and thick-knees. Swallows, swifts and martins will also be relevant to this study due to the amount of time they spend in the air, which increases the chances of collision with infrastructure. The more recent Southern African Bird Atlas 2 data was also consulted to shed light on more recently recorded bird abundance in the area. Unfortunately the coverage by counters in this area has not been good to date. There have been no cards submitted for the 3305_2700 pentad, and only 1 card for the 3305_2705 pentad. This card recorded only 16 species in total, however this importantly included two Red Listed species, Lesser Kestrel Falco nuamani (not recorded by SABAP 1) and Martial Eagle. The data is summarized in Table 2. Table 2. Summary of the one card submitted for Pentad 3305_2705 as part of the Southern African Bird Atlas Project Yellow-billed Duck (Geelbekeend) Anas undulata White-necked Raven (Withalskraai) Corvus albicollis Red-winged Starling (Rooivlerkspreeu) Onychognathus morio Pied Crow (Witborskraai) Corvus albus Neddicky (Neddikkie) Cisticola fulvicapilla Lesser Kestrel(Kleinrooivalk) Falco naumanni Fork-tailed Drongo (Mikstertbyvanger) Dicrurus adsimilis Fiscal Flycatcher (Fiskaalvlieivanger) Sigelus silens Common Starling (Europese Spreeu) Sturnus vulgaris Cardinal Woodpecker (Kardinaalspeg) Dendropicos fuscescens Cape Turtle-Dove (Gewone Tortelduif) Streptopelia capicola Cape Sparrow (Gewone Mossie) Passer melanurus Cape Glossy Starling(Kleinglansspreeu) Lamprotornis nitens Cape Crow (Swartkraai) Corvus capensis Bokmakierie (Bokmakierie) Telophorus zeylonus Martial Eagle (Breekoparend) Polemaetus bellicosus Target species for this study Determining the target species for this study, i.e. the most important species to be considered when assessing and managing impacts, is a three step process. The above data represents the first step, i.e. which species occur or could occur in the area at significant abundances, and the importance of the study area for those species. Secondly, the recent document A briefing document on best practice for pre-construction assessment of the impacts of onshore wind farms on birds (Jordan & Smallie, 2010) was consulted to 20

22 determine which groups of species could possibly be impacted on by wind farms. This document summarises which taxonomic groups of species have been found to be vulnerable to collision with wind turbines in the USA, UK, EU, Australia and Canada. The taxonomic groups that have been found to be vulnerable in two or more of these regions are as follows: Pelicaniformes (pelicans, gannets, cormorants); Ciconiiformes (storks, herons, ibises, spoonbills); Anseriformes (swans, ducks, geese); Falconiformes (birds of prey); Charadriiformes (gulls, terns, waders); Strigiformes (owls); Caprimulgiformes (nightjars); Gruiformes (cranes, bustards, rails); Galliformes (pheasants, grouse, francolins); and Passeriformes (songbirds). The third step is to consider the species conservation status or other reasons for protecting the species. This involved primarily consulting the Red List bird species (Barnes 2000) as in Table 1. In addition to the above sources of information, the recent document entitled Avian Wind Farm Sensitivity Map for South Africa (Retief, Diamond, Anderson, Smit, Jenkins & Brooks, 2011) combines all three above steps in order to identify sensitive areas of the country. The methods used by this project (Retief et al, 2011) are far more thorough and comprehensive than is possible during the scope of an EIA, and although the study was not intended to identify species for consideration in EIA s it does serve as a useful resource, and in particular includes assessment of non Red Listed bird species. The current Peddie study has therefore used the list of sensitive species developed by Retief et al (2011) as the basis for the draft target species list for this project which are as follows: African Crowned Eagle Stephanoaetus coronatus; African Fish- Eagle Haliaeetus vocifer; Black Harrier Circus maurus; Black Sparrowhawk Accipiter melanoleucus; Denham's Bustard Neotis denhami; Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus; Martial Eagle Polemaetus bellicosus; Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk Melierax canorus; Verreaux's Eagle Aquila verreauxii; White Stork Ciconia ciconia; White-bellied Korhaan Eupodotis senegalensis; Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus; Booted Eagle Aquila pennatus; Jackal Buzzard Buteo rufofuscus; Steppe Buzzard Buteo vulpinus; Yellow-billed Kite Milvus migrans; and Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni. There is some doubt as to whether all of these species do in fact occur on or near site, this will need to be established by pre-construction monitoring. As discussed elsewhere in this report, the impact of most concern for these species is that of collision with turbines, based on the fact that this study area is already relatively disturbed by other activities. Despite the site itself being relatively unattractive to birds, certain species could still conceivably fly over the site in commuting around the broader area. In judging the potential significance of this impact it is essential to understand the flight characteristics of the species, i.e. how often and how high does the bird fly. This data is only obtained through observation of the relevant area and species through the recommended bird monitoring programme. 21

23 5 ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS OF PROPOSED FACILITY The potential impacts of the proposed Peddie wind and solar energy facility are identified and described below according to the criteria supplied by CES (Appendix 1) and assessed formally in Table 3 ( operational phase ) and Table 4 ( construction phase ). 5.1 Wind energy facility The impacts expected to be associated with the wind energy facility include destruction of habitat; disturbance and displacement of birds from the area; and collision of birds with the turbine blades. The destruction of habitat, disturbance of birds, and displacement of birds from the site are all anticipated to be fairly minor impacts in this case, since the area is already relatively highly disturbed and degraded by human activity. These impacts have therefore received a rating of low significance (Table 4). The impact of collision is one which is difficult to assess without data on the way in which birds in flight use the study area or pass over. The necessary data will need to be collected through the monitoring programme discussed elsewhere in this report. At this stage, this impact has been rated as low significance (Table 3). 5.2 Associated infrastructure The impacts of habitat destruction and disturbance of birds due to construction of associated roads, buildings, substations and other structures is likely to be fairly minimal. However the impact of collision and electrocution of birds on the associated power line could be a substantial impact, and has been given a rating of moderately negative significance (Table 3). It is recommended that all power line linking turbines to each other and to the facility substation be buried underground, and that any necessary over head power line be built on a bird friendly design, and be marked with anti bird collision devices, as per the Eskom standards. If these measures are implemented the impact will be minimized to low significance. 22

24 Table 3. Assessment of the impacts of the operational phase of the Wind Energy Facility and associated infrastructure on birds Impact Spatial Temporal Certainty Severity/b Significance Mitigation measures Significance Bird collision & electrocution on overhead power lines, Impact on Red Listed and other species Displacement of birds from area as result of wind turbines and other infrastructure scale National populations of Red Data species affected National populations of Red Data species affected scale (duration) scale (likelihood ) eneficial scale Permanent Probable Moderately severe Permanent Possible Moderately severe Moderately negative Low negative Bury all on site power line underground. On power lines to grid, mark relevant sections of the line with anti collision marking devices on the earth wire to increase the visibility of the line and reduce likelihood of collisions. High risk sections of line can only be identified once the route of the power lines is available. Bird friendly pole/pylon designs should be used to prevent electrocutions. It is very difficult to mitigate for this. Disturbance can be reduced to some extent by following general environmental best practice in terms of managing people, machines and equipment during operations and maintenance. premitigation Preconstruction monitoring will establish baseline data post mitigation Low negative Low negative 23

25 against which this impact can be evaluated. Bird collision with turbine National Permanent Possible Moderately Low negative This is extremely difficult to Low negative blades populations severe mitigate for post of Red Data construction. Sensitivity species mapping and pre- affected construction monitoring should inform the final turbine layout in order to proactively mitigate for this. If key species are found to collide in significant numbers post construction then mitigation options will need to be implemented. Table 4. Assessment of the impacts of the construction phase of the Wind Energy Facility on birds Impact Spatial scale Temporal scale (duration) Certainty scale (likelihood ) Severity/b eneficial scale Significance premitigation Disturbance of birds, Localised Short term Probable Slight to Low negative Impact on Red Listed and moderate if moderate other species during species negative if construction breeding any target species breeding Mitigation measures Strict control should be maintained over all activities during construction, in particular heavy machinery and vehicle movements, and staff. It is difficult to mitigate fully for this as some disturbance is inevitable. If pre-construction monitoring discovers any breeding target species, the specialist Significance post mitigation Low negative 24

26 will develop case specific recommendations for management of the situation. Destruction or alteration Localised Permanent Probable Slight Low negative Strict control should be Low negative of bird habitat, Impact on relatively maintained over all activities Red Listed and other small during construction, in species footprint particular heavy machinery and vehicle movements, and staff. It is difficult to mitigate fully for this as some habitat destruction is inevitable. Existing roads should be used as much as possible, as well as avoiding sensitive areas identified by this study. 25

27 6 SENSITIVITY MAPPING FOR THE PROPOSED SITE Avoiding areas of high bird use or sensitivity is the most important means of mitigating the effects of wind turbines (and associated infrastructure) on birds. This section of this study focuses on identifying these areas. The primary factor affecting the determination of avifaunal sensitive zones on this site is surface water, either in the form of dams and pans, or drainage lines. In addition to being sources of water the drainage lines also often represent important flight paths as they are situated in the lower areas of the topography and by following these flight paths birds conserve energy, as opposed to gaining height to cross higher ground. The dams, pans and drainage lines have been identified in Figure 4, and buffered by 300m in the case of dams and 100m for drainage lines. Within these buffer areas construction of turbines and other infrastructure should not take place. It is evident that only Turbine 1 and 2 are currently positioned on the edge of a medium sensitivity zone, and may need to be move slightly if it is to comply with the findings of this report. Figure 4. Sensitivity map for the Peddie Wind Energy Facility Site. Light hatching indicates low sensitivity areas, whilst dark hatching indicates medium sensitivity. Turbine positions and the position of the measuring mast are shown with black dots and labeled. 26

28 7 SITE MONITORING PROGRAMME As discussed elsewhere in this report, it is essential that a thorough independent bird monitoring programme be implemented on site. The Best practice guidelines for avian monitoring and impact mitigation at proposed wind energy development sites in southern Africa (Jenkins, van Rooyen, Smallie, Anderson & Smit; 2011) state that bird monitoring should be conducted at all proposed wind energy facilities over a 12 month period. The intensity of the monitoring effort within that 12 months should be determined by the avifaunal specialist and may vary according to the size of the facility and the perceived avifaunal sensitivity of the site. The following is an outline of the methodology that should be followed with the monitoring programme for this project: Stage 1: Reconnaissance This will be completed during the scoping and EIA process. Stage 2: Pre-construction monitoring The primary aims of pre-construction monitoring are: (i) To estimate the number/density of birds regularly present or resident within the broader impact area of the WEF before its construction. (ii) To document patterns of bird movements in the vicinity of the proposed WEF before its construction (e.g. Erickson et al. 1999). (iii) To estimate predicted collision risk (the frequency with which individuals or flocks fly through the future rotor swept area of the proposed WEF Morrison 1998, Band et al. 2007) for key species. (iv) To inform comments on the merits of avifaunal impact assessment report in terms of points (i) to (iii) above (v) To establish a pre impact baseline of bird numbers, distributions and movements (vi) To mitigate impacts by informing the final design, construction and management strategy of the development. More specifically, at the Peddie site, the following activities will be undertaken: a. Sample counts of small terrestrial species Approximately 2-3 walked transects on the main site and 2-3 on a control site. b. Counts of large terrestrial species and raptors Approximately 1-2 vehicle based road count routes on main site and 1-2 on control site. c. Focal site surveys and monitoring 27