Evaluating the impacts of wind turbines on bat populations

英国是欧洲第三大风力发电国，拥有584个项目，4，366台涡轮机和欧洲五大风力发电场中的四个。因此，风能发电与蝙蝠--在欧洲受到高度法律的保护的动物--之间的冲突对经济和能源安全以及生物多样性都有重要影响。我们目前正在完成量化碰撞和扰动影响规模的研究，并审查潜在的风险预测因素。这是英国唯一一项在商业规模风能装置中解决这一问题的工作。本项目的目的是与利益攸关方一起确定在这一广泛而昂贵的研究过程中积累的环境数据和专门知识的实际应用，并在用户的协助下将其打包成可访问的格式，以促进更有效地管理风能生产的环境影响。利益攸关方向我们强调，基于证据的决策不仅要求他们能够获得科学分析的总体结果，而且还要求他们能够获得信息和指导，以便为未来的商业调查和监测提供最佳做法。由于我们广泛的研究，我们有一个独特的数据集蝙蝠活动和伤亡率在英国各地的风力涡轮机网站，以及无与伦比的经验，在实际监测技术：该项目将允许这些与最终用户共享。具体产出将包括蝙蝠活动水平的特定物种和区域参考范围，使利益攸关方能够将生态顾问进行的调查中常规记录的蝙蝠活动水平置于背景之中并加以解释;地理信息系统（GIS）层，以促进关于累积生态影响的循证决策;关于适当监测技术的信息;并协助了解发展对当地和全国蝙蝠种群的潜在影响。直接受益者将是风能开发商和运营商（行业），专业生态顾问（服务提供商），地方政府生态学家和规划委员会（决策者）以及国家自然保护组织（SNCO，政策制定者）。保留字：环境影响评估;风力涡轮机;蝙蝠;生态数据;风能利益相关者：法定自然保育机构（威尔士自然资源、英格兰自然资源、苏格兰自然遗产）地方当局生态学家和植物学家（包括地方政府生态学家协会）专业生态顾问（包括特许生态与环境管理学会）食品和农村事务能源和气候变化部风能开发商和运营商（包括所有主要能源供应商以及小型能源系统的安装商）非政府野生动物保护组织（如蝙蝠保护信托基金、野生动物信托基金）

The UK is the third largest generator of wind power in Europe, with 584 projects, 4,366 turbines and four of the five largest European wind farms. Conflicts between wind energy generation and bats - animals with high legal protection across Europe - therefore have important implications for the economy and energy security as well as biodiversity. We are currently concluding research that has quantified the scale of collision and disturbance impacts and examined potential predictors of risk. This is the only work in the UK to address this issue at commercial scale wind energy installations. The purpose of the current project is to determine with stakeholders the practical applications of the environmental data and expertise amassed during this extensive and costly research, and to package these with the assistance of users into accessible formats to facilitate more effective management of the environmental impacts of wind energy production. Stakeholders have emphasised to us that evidence-based decision making requires that they not only have access to the overall results of scientific analyses, but to information and guidance on which to base best-practice for future commercial surveys and monitoring. Because of our extensive research, we have available a unique dataset on bat activity and casualty rates at wind turbine sites across the UK, as well as unparalleled experience in practical monitoring techniques: this project will allow these to be shared with end-users. Specific outputs will include species- and region-specific reference ranges for bat activity levels, allowing stakeholders to contextualise and interpret the bat activity levels routinely recorded in surveys conducted by ecological consultants; Geographic Information System (GIS) layers to facilitate evidence-based decision making about cumulative ecological impacts; information on appropriate monitoring techniques; and assistance with understanding the potential consequences of developments for local and national bat populations. The direct beneficiaries will be wind energy developers and operators (industry), professional ecological consultants (service providers), local government ecologists and planning committees (decision makers), and Statutory Nature Conservation Organisations (SNCOs, policy makers). Keywords: environmental impact assessment; wind turbines; bats; ecological data; wind energyStakeholders: Statutory Nature Conservation Organisations (Natural Resources Wales, Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage)Local Authority Ecologists and Planners (including The Association of Local Government Ecologists)Professional Ecological Consultants (including the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management)Department for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsDepartment of Energy and Climate ChangeWind energy developers and operators (including all of the major energy suppliers as well as installers of small energy systems)Non-governmental wildlife conservation organisations (e.g. Bat Conservation Trust, The Wildlife Trusts)