És compatible la conservació de l’avifauna amb les energies renovables?

This round table, proposed by the Directorate-General for Environmental Policies and Natural Heritage and moderated by Ricard Casanovas, Head of the Fauna and Flora Service of the Directorate-General for Environmental Policies and Natural Heritage of the DTER, will bring together Antoni Hernández, Professor at the Faculty of Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio) of the University of Barcelona (UB); Rafel Bosch, environmental scientist and environmental consultant; Francesc Parés, forestry technical engineer and environmental consultant; Claudi Baiges, from the Institute for the Conservation of Raptors (ICRA); Francesc Xavier Parellada, from the Institute for the Conservation of Raptors (ICRA); and Ricard Gutiérrez, Head of the Fauna Conservation Section of the Directorate-General for Environmental Policies and Natural Heritage of the DTER.

In the face of the current challenges posed by biodiversity loss as a result of climate change and other processes and threats, the necessary energy transition requires us to reconcile the conservation of birdlife with the planning, construction and implementation of photovoltaic solar plants and wind farms. Renewable energy projects can have significant impacts on the natural environment, particularly on birdlife and associated habitats.

In the case of wind farms, scientific literature has extensively documented that wind turbines pose a risk of direct mortality through collisions for a number of bird species, which can negatively affect their populations. In addition, these installations entail substantial habitat transformation, as construction and land occupation can result in an effective loss of functional habitat for certain species.

In the case of photovoltaic plants, the main impact is the loss of natural habitat, which can also result in a displacement or avoidance effect. In principle, these installations do not cause direct mortality among birds.

The round table will address the existing research and knowledge on this issue, monitoring methods and new technologies that can help reconcile renewable energy development with bird conservation, as well as the current criteria being applied to ensure their integration.

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