Modelling power‐line collision risk for the Blue Crane <i>Anthropoides paradiseus</i> in South Africa

Shaw, Jessica M.; Jenkins, Andrew R.; Smallie, Jon J.; Ryan, Peter G.

doi:10.1111/j.1474-919x.2010.01039.x

Cited by 66 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…A sensory ecology approach has provided insights into the bases of many broad classes of interactions between animals and their environments, especially with respect to foraging (Martin, 2012), and to investigate some of the key general problems which birds face in human modified environments. This includes understanding the sensory and cognitive bases of fatal interactions between flying birds and large human artefacts that are conspicuous to humans, such as wind turbines, power lines and oil platforms, and which can cause high levels of bird mortality Martin and Shaw, 2010;Shaw et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introduction: the Problem Of Gillnet Bycatchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing bycatch in gillnets: A sensory ecology perspective

Martin

Crawford

2015

Global Ecology and Conservation

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a b s t r a c tSensory capacities and perceptual challenges faced by gillnet bycatch taxa result from fundamental physiological limits on vision and constraints arising within underwater environments. To reduce bycatch in birds, sea turtles, pinnipeds and blue-water fishes, individuals must be alerted to the presence of nets using visual cues. Cetaceans will benefit but they also require warning with cues detected through echolocation. Characteristics of a visual warning stimulus must accommodate the restricted visual capacities of bycatch species and the need to maintain vision in a dark adapted state when foraging. These requirements can be provided by a single type of visual warning stimulus: panels containing a pattern of low spatial frequency and high internal contrast. These are likely to be detectable across a range of underwater light environments by all bycatch prone taxa, but are unlikely to reduce the catch of target fish species. Such panels should also be readily detectable by cetaceans using echolocation. Use of sound signals to warn about the presence of gillnets is not recommended because of the poor sound localisation abilities of bycatch taxa, cetaceans excepted. These warning panels should be effective as a mitigation measure for all bycatch species, relatively easy to deploy and of low cost.

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Section: Introduction: the Problem Of Gillnet Bycatchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing bycatch in gillnets: A sensory ecology perspective

Martin

Crawford

2015

Global Ecology and Conservation

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“…As much as 12% of the Western Cape population is lost to power line collisions annually (Shaw et al, 2010). The Endangered Wildlife Trust has developed a unique national partnership with the electric utility that serves South Africa, ESKOM.…”

Section: Blue Cranementioning

confidence: 99%

A global overview of cranes: status, threats and conservation priorities

Harris¹,

Mirande²

2013

Chinese Birds

100

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This paper reviews the population trends and threats for the 15 species of cranes, and comments on conservation priorities for the family as a whole. Cranes occur on five continents, with greatest diversity in East Asia (nine species) and Sub-Saharan Africa (six species). Eleven crane species are threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List, including one species Critically Endangered, three species Endangered, and seven species Vulnerable. Of the four species of Least Concern, population sizes for the Demoiselle (Anthropoides virgo) and Brolga (Grus rubicunda) are not well known but these species are declining in some areas. The Sandhill (G. canadensis) and Eurasian Cranes (G. grus) are the most abundant cranes and have rapidly increased in part due to their flexible selection of foraging habitats and use of agriculture lands and waste grain as a food source. Status for six species -Grey Crowned (Balearica regulorum), Blue (Anthropoides paradise), Black-necked (G. nigricollis), Red-crowned (G. japonensis), Sandhill, and Siberian (G. leucogeranus) -are summarized in more detail to illustrate the diversity of population shifts and threats within the crane family. A crane threat matrix lists the major threats, rates each threat for each species, and scores each threat for the crane family as a whole. Four of the five greatest threats are to the ecosystems that cranes depend upon, while only one of the top threats (human disturbance) relates to human action directly impacting on cranes. Four major threats are discussed: dams and water diversions, agriculture development, crane trade, and climate change. Conservation efforts should be strongly science-based, reduce direct threats to the birds, safeguard or restore habitat, and strengthen awareness among decision makers and local communities for how to safeguard cranes and wetlands. Especially for the most severely threatened species, significantly stronger efforts will be needed to incorporate our understanding of the needs of cranes and the ecosystems they inhabit into decisions about agriculture, water management, energy development and other human activities.

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“…Actual bird and mammal species found dead in the study area and their respective numbers. a result of collisions with wind turbines (Banks 1979;Drewitt & Langston 2008;Rothery et al 2009;Martin 2011), collisions with power lines (Manville 2005) and subsequent electrocutions can threaten survival of certain avian populations such as juveniles (Schaub & Pradel 2004), migrants (Christensen et al 2004;Kahlert et al 2004) or endangered species (ESKOM 2008;Shaw et al 2010). Our observation of reduction in the avian activity status in the study area with progression of wind farm erection activity is in accordance with similar bird displacement effect of wind farms reported by others (Anderson et al 1999).…”

Section: Wintermentioning

confidence: 99%

Avian collision threat assessment at ‘Bhambarwadi Wind Farm Plateau’ in northern Western Ghats, India.

Pande¹,

Padhye²,

Deshpande³

et al. 2013

J. Threat. Taxa

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Abstract:To address the shortage of power in India, wind energy is increasingly harnessed as an alternate and renewable energy source. There is a rapid increase in the number of wind farms at suitable sites all over the country. Some of the key sites with optimal wind velocities are the plateaus on the Western Ghats -a global hotspot of biological diversity. The rocky plateaus on the Western Ghats are terrestrial habitat islands facing extreme micro-environmental conditions; however, scanty information is available on the ecology of these plateaus. We undertook a two-year study to assess the impact of wind farms on birds. We also documented the avian diversity at Bhambarwadi Plateau, northern Western Ghats, India. To the best of our knowledge this is the first such study in India. We recorded 89 avian species on the plateau, 27 of which flew in the risk area swept by the rotor blades, and hence are potentially at risk of collision. The collision index (the number of bird collisions with wind turbines over a period of one year assuming that the birds do not take any avoidance measure) for these species were estimated. We also identified species at risk from collision with transformers and wind-masts, and at risk from electrocution. Reduction in avian activity in the study area was evident with progress of wind farm erection. Despite the small footprint of an individual wind turbine, the associated infrastructure development causes wider habitat modification and destruction resulting in a displacement effect. Therefore, wind farm erections in strategic locations such as biodiversity hotspots should be subject to prior site based strategic environmental assessments (SEA) as well as environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies.Keywords: Bird collision index, bird collision probability, electrocution, plateaus, raptors, risk species, Western Ghats, wind farm.

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Modelling power‐line collision risk for the Blue Crane Anthropoides paradiseus in South Africa

Cited by 66 publications

References 15 publications

Reducing bycatch in gillnets: A sensory ecology perspective

Reducing bycatch in gillnets: A sensory ecology perspective

A global overview of cranes: status, threats and conservation priorities

Avian collision threat assessment at ‘Bhambarwadi Wind Farm Plateau’ in northern Western Ghats, India.

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