A1 Vertaisarvioitu alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä lehdessä
Reduced survival in a soaring bird breeding in wind turbine proximity along the northern Baltic Sea coast
Tekijät: Nebel, Carina; Stjernberg, Torsten; Tikkanen, Hannu; Laaksonen, Toni
Kustantaja: Elsevier
Julkaisuvuosi: 2024
Journal: Biological Conservation
Tietokannassa oleva lehden nimi: Biological Conservation
Artikkelin numero: 110604
Vuosikerta: 294
ISSN: 0006-3207
eISSN: 1873-2917
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110604
Verkko-osoite: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110604
Rinnakkaistallenteen osoite: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/393422517
Wind power plays a vital role in global climate action and plans for new turbines in the Baltic Sea region are underway. However, it is crucial not to overlook the environmental impact on wildlife, which can be difficult to quantify, especially in elusive and hard-to-track species. One of these species is the white-tailed eagle, a conservation success story that faces a significant collision risk with rotor blades, particularly as turbines are being constructed in its coastal habitats. To assess the effect of wind turbines on survival of territorial adults, we genotyped DNA from adult feathers collected at nests between 2010 and 2022. By tracking individuals across years, we measured survival and breeding dispersal in relation to wind turbine presence. Turbines within a 5 km radius of nests were found to reduce annual survival rates by 7.6 %, while resighting probability and breeding dispersal probability were unaffected. The proportion of territories exposed to wind turbines is currently low (4–5 %), mainly because recent construction sites have been further inland. However, future projections suggest an increase in territory exposure, indicating potential for population-level risks. This highlights the need for substantial safety buffers around nest sites (preferably >5 km) to protect the breeding white-tailed eagle population. Currently, a comprehensive understanding of the large-scale impact on the Baltic Sea white-tailed eagle population is lacking. As wind power expands, it is necessary to consider its impact on wildlife and we recommend conducting ongoing environmental assessments to monitor and adapt conservation measures.
Ladattava julkaisu This is an electronic reprint of the original article. |  |
Julkaisussa olevat rahoitustiedot:
We thank the Finnish Wind Power Association for sharing their compiled data on wind turbines. For their assistance in constructing the wind turbine database, we thank Vesa Selonen and the Finnish Land Cover team. We thank Ida Penttinen for compiling the genotype database and we are grateful to Meri Lindqvist, Katja Salminen and Titiksha Peetumber (CEA) for extracting and genotyping the material. We thank the WTE working group volunteers for their extensive sampling and monitoring efforts. Lastly, CN thanks Richard Chandler and Michael Schaub for their advice on data conceptualization. Part of the genotyping work was funded by the Deutsche Ornithologische Gesellschaft (DO-G) and the Finnish Osprey Foundation. CN was funded by a grant provided by the Kone Foundation (to TL) .r provided by the Kone Foundation (to TL) .
