Review of the Conflict Between Migratory Birds and Electricity Power Grids in the African-Eurasian Region
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CMS CONVENTION ON Distribution: General MIGRATORY UNEP/CMS/Inf.10.38/ Rev.1 SPECIES 11 November 2011 Original: English TENTH MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES Bergen, 20-25 November 2011 Agenda Item 19 REVIEW OF THE CONFLICT BETWEEN MIGRATORY BIRDS AND ELECTRICITY POWER GRIDS IN THE AFRICAN-EURASIAN REGION (Prepared by Bureau Waardenburg for AEWA and CMS) Pursuant to the recommendation of the 37 th Meeting of the Standing Committee, the AEWA and CMS Secretariats commissioned Bureau Waardenburg to undertake a review of the conflict between migratory birds and electricity power grids in the African-Eurasian region, as well as of available mitigation measures and their effectiveness. Their report is presented in this information document and an executive summary is also provided as document UNEP/CMS/Conf.10.29. A Resolution on power lines and migratory birds is also tabled for COP as UNEP/CMS/Resolution10.11. For reasons of economy, documents are printed in a limited number, and will not be distributed at the meeting. Delegates are kindly requested to bring their copy to the meeting and not to request additional copies. The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) REVIEW OF THE CONFLICT BETWEEN MIGRATORY BIRDS AND ELECTRICITY POWER GRIDS IN THE AFRICAN-EURASIAN REGION Funded by AEWA’s cooperation-partner, RWE RR NSG, which has developed the method for fitting bird protection markings to overhead lines by helicopter. Produced by Bureau Waardenburg Boere Conservation Consultancy STRIX Ambiente e Inovação Endangered Wildlife Trust – Wildlife & Energy Program Compiled by: Hein Prinsen 1, Gerard Boere 2, Nadine Píres 3 & Jon Smallie 4. 1. Bureau Waardenburg bv, Culemborg, the Netherlands, [email protected] , www.buwa.nl 2. Boere Conservation Consultancy, Gorssel, the Netherlands, [email protected] 3. STRIX Ambiente e Inovação, Porto Salvo, Portugal, [email protected] , www.strix.pt 4. Endangered Wildlife Trust (Wildlife & Energy Program), Modderfontein, South Africa, [email protected] , www.ewt.org.za Milestones in the production of this review Last up-date: September 2011; presented to the CMS Scientific Council through correspondence and to the 10 th meeting of the AEWA Technical Committee, 12-16 September 2011, Naivasha, Kenya. Review of the Conflict between Migratory Birds and the Electricity Power Grids in the African-Eurasian Region 1 Final draft: November 2011, submitted to the 17 th meeting of the CMS Scientific Council on 17-18 November 2011 in Bergen, Norway, the 10 th Conference of the Parties to CMS on 20-25 November 2011 in Bergen, Norway and the 5th Meeting of the Parties to AEWA on 14-18 May 2012 in La Rochelle, France. Contributors: Besides the authors listed above, the following persons contributed to (parts of) this review: Bureau Waardenburg: Jonne Hartman, Abel Gyimesi, Angela van Bergeijk, Mark Collier, and Jan van der Winden; STRIX: Filipe Canario, Ricardo Tomé; EWT-WEP: Megan Diamond. Recommended citation: Prinsen, H.A.M., G.C. Boere, N. Píres & J.J. Smallie (Compilers), 2011. Review of the conflict between migratory birds and electricity power grids in the African-Eurasian region. CMS Technical Series No. XX, AEWA Technical Series No. XX Bonn, Germany. Acknowledgements: Thanks go to the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat and UNEP/CMS Secretariat, Aline Kuehl, Borja Heredia, Sergey Dereliev and Florian Keil for helpful comments on this review. We thank the CMS and AEWA Focal Points of the following countries for the information they provided: Algeria, Benin, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Ethiopia, European Union, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, Israel, Kenya, Liechtenstein, FYR of Macedonia, Monaco, Montenegro, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Portugal, Romania, Republic of Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Sudan, Switzerland, Togo, Uganda, and United Kingdom. Furthermore, we like to thank the following persons for providing information or help in compiling the review report and these guidelines: Ivaylo Angelov, Miklós Antal, Sherif Baha El Din, Boris Barov, Julieta Costa, Chang- Yong Choi, Nick Davidson, Damijan Denac, Tasos Dimalexis, Margus Ellermaa, George Eshiamwata, Richard Grimmett, Dieter Haas, Rick Harness, David Horal, Roger Jaensch, Helmut Jaklitsch, Vicky Jones, Frans Koops, Dražen Kotrošan, Aleksi Lehikoinen, João Loureiro, Alexander Matsyna, Guillam McIvor, Taej Mundkur, Markus Nipkow, Derek Pomeroy, Dave Pritchard, Alice Ramsay, Borut Rubini č, Mike & Ann Scott, Ivan Scrase, Svetoslav Spasov, Elchin Sultanov, Lukas Viktora, Roland van der Vliet, Tatyana Yassievich, Leo Zwarts. Picture on the cover: Blue Crane ( Anthropoides paradisea ), collision victim of transmission line in South Africa. © EWT-WEP. Disclaimer The designation employed and the presentation of the material in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of AEWA and CMS concerning the legal status of any State, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of their frontiers and boundaries. Review of the Conflict between Migratory Birds and the Electricity Power Grids in the African-Eurasian Region 2 CONTENTS Executive Summary................................................................................................................................. 4 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 6 2. Electrocution........................................................................................................................................ 8 2.1. Introduction................................................................................................................................... 8 2.2. Contributing Factors and Causes................................................................................................... 9 2.3. Species Involved and Magnitude ................................................................................................ 11 2.4. Regional Overview of Electrocution Conflict ............................................................................. 12 2.5. Mitigation and Prevention of Electrocution ................................................................................ 24 3. Collisions........................................................................................................................................... 28 3.1. Introduction................................................................................................................................. 28 3.2. Contributing Factors and Causes................................................................................................. 28 3.3. Species Involved and Magnitude of Problem.............................................................................. 34 3.4. Regional Overview of Collision Conflict.................................................................................... 41 3.5. Mitigation and Prevention of Collisions...................................................................................... 51 4. Disturbance and Loss of Habitat........................................................................................................ 55 5. Positive Side Effects of Power Lines for Birds.................................................................................. 56 5.1. Introduction................................................................................................................................. 56 5.2. Storks .......................................................................................................................................... 56 5.3. Raptors........................................................................................................................................ 57 5.4. Other Species .............................................................................................................................. 59 6. Legislation overview.......................................................................................................................... 60 6.1. Introduction................................................................................................................................. 60 6.2. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) ................................................................................ 61 6.3. Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, especially as Waterbird Habitat (Ramsar Convention) ....................................................................................................................................... 62 6.4. Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) ....................... 62 6.5. Agreement on the Conservation of African Eurasian Migratory Waterbird (AEWA) ................ 63 6.6. MoU on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia ........................... 649 6.7. MoU on the Conservation and Management of the Middle-European Population of the Great Bustard............................................................................................................................................... 65 6.8. Bern Convention ......................................................................................................................... 65 6.9. EU Directives.............................................................................................................................