Effect of wind farms on vultures: : AMP case study Álvaro Camiña Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services in Impact Assessment IAIA Biodiversity & Ecology Section Inter-American Development Bank Washington, DC. 7-8 February 2013
Northern Valencia 10 windfarms :267 turbines. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and EIS since 2004. Operating since September 2006. Measures against BSE resulted in changes both in food availability and space distribution (EIS uneffective). GV collisions increase: 393 birds killed from 2006 to December 2010.
Northern Valencia 33 turbines were shut down from May 2008-Sep. 2010 : Economic loss. Both Wind developer and Environmental Authorities accussed at the Court by affecting Birds Directive 2009/147/CE (79/409/CE).
Raptor species in the area Species Crossings Nº Individuals Circus cyaneus 4 7 Milvus migrans 32 41 Circaetus gallicus 67 75 Buteo buteo 36 38 Circus pygargus 8 10 Circus aeruginosus 2 4 Neophron percnopterus 6 6 belong to griffon vultures Pernis apivorus 28 86 Aquila crhsyaetos 24 29 Gyps fulvus 3088 5485 Hieraetus pennatus 30 31 Accipiter gentilis 5 6 Accipiter nisus 21 21 Falco peregrinus 6 6 Falco tinunculus 100 118 Falco subbuteo 1 1 89,30% of crossings and 91.7% individuals
Correction measures Avoiding griffons feeding at rubbish dump Goal: : reduce mortality. Measure: Closure of rubbish dump. Provide vultures with food Goal: : Remove vultures from rubbish dump Measure: Build 2 vulture restaurants Both applied simultaneously
Rubbish dump use vs. closure GLM p < 0,004 R 2 X 100 = 40,74% F 3,574 = 3,17 4,5 4 3,5 3 2,5 2 1,5 1 No measures Sealing rubbish dump Sealing and 1st vulture restaurant Sealing 2 vulture restaurants Vultures at rubbish dump 3,96 3,29 2,44 1,98
3,3 Rubbish dump use vs. Food at vulture restaurants 3,2 3,1 p < 0,001 F 3,574 = 4,18 3 2,9 2,8 2,7 2,6 2,5 2,4 No food at VR Food at VR Serie1 3,17 2,67
GAM Models 4 3 Observ ed v alue Spline 95% conf idence band Spline line and 95% confidence band for Julian date 2 Partial residual 1 0-1 -2-3 No action Sealing rubbish dump and 2 feeding sites opened -4-0,2 0,0 0,2 0,4 0,6 0,8 1,0 1,2 Julian date
Overall mortality trend
October November December 73% Adults Age of vultures collided Juveniles 5% 22% Immatures 25 20 15 10 5 0 January February March April May June july August September Juvenile Inmmature Adult
20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Percentage of mortality through the year Incubation Chick rearing Post-fledging Pre-breeding February March April May June July August September October November December January
Mortality (vultures/turbine/day) 0,0020 0,0018 0,0016 BSE Mesures implemented Mean Mean±SE Mean±1,96*SE VULTURES/TURBINE/YEAR 0,0014 0,0012 0,0010 0,0008 0,0011 0,0013 0,0014 0,0008 0,0006 0,0011 0,0014 0,0013 0,0008 64,28% 0,0006 0,0005 0,0004 0,0002 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Other variables affected by measures adopted
Crossings throught turbine strings vs. The two correction measures 2,5 Vultures/hour 2 1,5 1 0,5 p = 0,38 F 1,157 = 0,76 0 No measures Sealing rubbish dump Sealing and 1st vulture restaurant Sealing 2 vulture restaurants Crossings /food VR 1,56 1,43 1,65 1,5 Crossings/NO food VR 2,35 1,83 2,14 1,79
Crossings through turbines vs. Food provided at v. restaurants 2,5 2 p = 0,01 0,01 F 1,157 = 6,08 1,157 6,08 1,5 1 0,5 0 Without Sin aportes food At VR Food At VR Aportes
Understanding flight behaviour of griffons
Flight altitude vs. Daily mean temperature
240 Flight altitude vs. Daily mean temperature AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE 220 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 y = -606,26 + 313,77*x; r = 0,89; p < 0,001; r 2 = 0,8045 #4 #3#11 #12 #1 #10 #2 #9 #5 #8 #7 20% 15% 10% #6 5% 40 0% 2,0 2,1 2,2 2,3 2,4 2,5 2,6 2,7 January February March April May June July August September October November December AVERAGE FLIGHT ALTITUDE/MONTH
Flight vs. Wind conditions GLM / variables nested on turbine string Slope Tail / cross wind flying vulture components Temperature Tail / cross wind wind vectors Turbine string: A1, A2, A3, F1 Date Flight altitude: Below, a the same level, above rotor swept area.
Flight altitude- GLM model Hierarchically nested factor design SS D.f. MS F p Turbine string * Slope 4,6297 3 1,5432 3,99 0,0080 Turbine string * Temperature 8,5487 3 2,8496 7,36 < 0,001 Julian date 3,2062 1 3,2062 8,29 0,0042 Julian date^2 2,3639 1 2,3639 6,11 0,0138
Flight altitude GAM-model 1,5 1,0 Spline line and 95% confidence band for temperature Response: Flight altitude 0,5 Partial residual 0,0-0,5-1,0-1,5 Observed value Spline -2,0 95% confidence band -100-50 0 50 100 150 200 250 Temperature
Complementary measures Monitoring of GV movements by means of Satellite Tracking Using GPS- PTT s Population viability analysis (PVA) to measure the effect of mortality.
Thank you! Alvaro Camiña Apartado de correos 339 Majadahonda MADRID SPAIN acamia@acrenasl.eu