Thousands of bats killed by wind turbines
WIND farms are killing thousands of bats a year, despite claims that they are environmentally friendly. Hundreds of the protected species’ bodies were found by experts scouring the ground around the turbines. The scientists are now calling for wind farm operators to switch off or slow turbines on summer nights when bats are most at risk. Mammalian biologist Dr Fiona Mathews, of Exeter University, said the creatures may ‘switch off’ their sonars when flying near turbines – and may even be attracted to the machines to feast on bugs also drawn to them. Dr Mathews said: ‘There are effective ways of preventing bat deaths. Unfortunately we have found that assessments conducted when wind farms are being planned are very poor at identifying whether a site is likely to be risky. This means that appropriate action is not taken to protect bats. We therefore call for a switch in emphasis from pre-construction to post-construction assessments, so that any problem can be nipped in the bud early on.’
Researchers surveying 46 UK wind farms found 29 impact assessments, 18 of which reported that ‘surveys are unnecessary as the development does not affect any features likely to be used by bats’.
But at those 29 sites, a total of 194 bats were killed monthly, the experts reported in the journal Current Biology. The numbers are likely to be an underestimate as some carcasses may have rotted, been eaten by other animals, and some not found. And the toll could reach tens of thousands if results were replicated at the UK’s 6,954 onshore turbines. Dr Mathews added: ‘We need to remember that bats have been around for at least 30 million years and during that time have been able to fly happily without risk of colliding with a spinning object. If bats are actively attracted to turbines, then it might not prove possible to predict this accurately in advance.’
In the UK, regulations state that planning permission should be refused as a last resort if significant harm cannot be avoided to bat populations. The report concludes: ‘We conclude that significant harm was not avoided at these significant risk sites.’
Gemma Grimes, a policy director at wind energy body RenewableUK, said: ‘The wind industry has been working closely with the Government and Exeter University alongside other bodies such as the Bat Conservation Trust. We will continue to position and operate turbines in a way which ensures that this valuable group of species is given the protection it deserves.’