Installing wind turbines in the forest harms the bat population. This was reported by the Zoo and Wildlife Research Institute. Leibniz.
Wind power generators are considered one of the promising “green” energy sources that should replace oil and gas. To date, more than 30,000 turbines have been installed on mainland Germany and the available space is becoming less and less. In this context, the possibility of installing windmills in forests is being evaluated. Zoologists decided to find out if it harmed local animals.
Research results show that nocturnal bats are affected by wind turbines in forests for two reasons: First, if wind turbines are installed near perches, the risk of collisions with turbines increases for bats, and second, they lose their feeding ground because they avoid wind turbines. away from perches. In their paper, the team concludes that the development of wind power in forests should be avoided or undertaken with great care if there is no alternative.
To find out, the scientists recorded the flight paths of 60 bats over 1-2 nights and then analyzed them. “We found that Vespers were more likely to approach wind turbines if they were near bat roosts,” the zoologists say. “Bats, being very social mammals, use conspicuous structures as meeting places.”
The authors conclude that the wind turbine should be located at least 500 meters from the bats’ roosting sites, and that the loss of feeding habitat should be compensated by clearing a significant portion of the forests from windmills.
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Source: Gazeta
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