Black Harrier Research Protecting a species through research and conservation Black Harriers and other Red Data species in the proposed Boulder Wind Farm: a re-assessment, January 2020 Dr R.E. Simmons Black Harrier Research Group, FitzPatrick Institute, UCT Dr R E Simmons, Honorary Researcher, Percy FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosh, 7700, Cape Town, South Africa [email protected] +27 (0)82 780 0133 RATIONALE The proposed Boulders Wind Farm in the Cape Columbine area, east of Paternoster, has attracted public criticism from conservation groups in the area due to its proximity to various nationally important biodiversity areas, and visual and archaeological concerns. I was asked by the concerned groups, as a specialist on raptors, and particularly Endangered Black Harrier Circus maurus, to re-assess the Red Data species in the area and review the avian EIA Report prepared for the Boulders wind farm site. The Cape Columbine area has recently been identified as a nationally important core area for breeding harriers, so I spent three days on site in late January 2020 to prepare a specialist report as part of the Appeal Process. I also spoke to local birders and met with the conservationists. This is a report of my findings. BACKGROUND The proposed Boulders site is a Wind Farm comprising 45 turbines of hub height 120-m, placed on 10 farm portions surrounding the existing and operational West Coast 1 Wind Farm (WC1WF). The West Coast 1 site was subject to an avian assessment, mitigation measures, and has at least one year of carcass data available. This allows a direct assessment of the likely impacts to the avifauna of the area if the neighbouring Boulders site goes ahead. Scoping and full EIA studies have been undertaken by Bioinsight from 2014-2015, followed by a brief site visit in October 2017 to determine if the receiving environment had changed. The Boulders Wind Farm was given Environmental Authorization late in 2019 (4 years after the study) despite several recommendations from Visual, and Archaeological specialists being ignored. As an avian research biologist, specialising in threatened raptors and Black Harriers I have re-appraised the avian specialist report and undertaken a short field trip to determine possible impacts to the avifauna of the area. I have no vested interest in the site other than protection of Black Harriers and other Red Data species that may be unnecessarily impacted by the Boulders WEF. Photo 1: Black Harriers are common and resident in the coastal areas of the Cape Columbine area. (RE Simmons) SUMMARY The Boulders Wind Energy Facility (WEF) is proposed for high ground south of St Helena Bay and east of the archaeological site at Kasteelberg (Sadr et al. 2017). It covers ~27-km2 of farmland and some natural wetland areas in the Fynbos biome. A Scoping and full EIA report on the avifauna was completed in 2015, 5 years ago (BioInsight 2018) and that was reviewed by Jenkins (2019). The BioInsight report found no fatal flaws from an avian point of view, and ranked the avian risks as medium. This was challenged by Jenkins (2019) who suggested that their avian report was barely adequate, provided little in the way of raw data (passage pates, flight heights, probability of species occurring and field effort) on which to judge their conclusion. The authors also suggested erroneously that Lesser Kestrels (a European migrant) might breed at the site. Jenkins (2019) disagreed that the site should be given clearance based on numerous false claims. Also, worryingly, the meat of the radar study was not presented, despite annual estimates of hundreds of thousands of birds using the aerial flyway over the neighbouring wind farm (Millikan 2013). The BioInsight report appears to have under-estimated the likely fatalities of Red Data birds at the Boulders WEF. A simple simulation of likely avian fatalities, based on the known kill-rate of Red Data raptors at the operational and neighbouring West Coast 1 Wind Farm, accounting for (i) scavenging rates; and (ii) taller turbines at Boulders (120-m vs 80-m) predicts that: 132 raptors (of which 18 are Red Data species) are likely to be killed annually at the Boulders WEF. This is likely to include the Endangered Black Harriers given that: ❖ recent modelling found the Cape Columbine area is one of the most suitable habitats for breeding Black Harriers in South Africa (Colyn et al. in prep.). ❖ Black Harriers have also been recorded on the proposed Boulders site and are resident, and breed, in the surrounding coastal areas. ❖ The Cape Columbine area is one of few areas in South Africa where Black Harrier records are increasing, based on comparisons between national bird atlas schemes. ❖ The radar study of nocturnal bird movements over WC1WF in 2013 indicates 256 000 birds fly over the site annually of which 16% (41 000) flew in the blade-swept zone. Some of these would be Red Data Blue Cranes and Flamingos. A 3-day visit in January 2020, confirmed that Black Harriers, the 6th most collision-prone species in South Africa, were present in the Groot Paternoster reserve about 5-km north-west of the site. The presence of these Endangered birds, and suitable harrier nesting habitat in the centre of the Boulders WEF, suggests that the site is likely to be a danger to the Black Harrier population, and further investigation is essential. Population modelling of Black Harriers at Wind Farms in the Eastern Cape indicate that even at low- level mortality rates of one adult, or one juvenile, killed at five Wind Farms every two years, the global Black Harrier population will decline. The impact of the presence up to 220 Red Data Blue Cranes may also have been under-estimated by the BioInsight report, since they are the 11th most collision-prone species in South Africa, and two to three fatalities are expected annually on the power lines required by the WEF. I conclude that this Wind Farm poses a significant threat to Black Harriers and other avian Red Data species in the area, and that avifaunal impacts need to be independently reassessed and the farm re- sited. QUALIFICATIONS OF AUTHOR Dr Rob Simmons is an ornithologist with 35 years’ experience in avian research and impact assessment work. He has undertaken specialist avian impact assessment since 2010 and, as a consultant, has undertaken 70 projects and assessments over 23 habitats in Angola, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa. His long-term avian research has been focussed on threatened species: Black Harriers (18 years); population surveys of flamingos in southern Africa, and population surveys of endemic species (across an aridity gradient over 3 years); and desert-wide surveys of threatened terns. In his academic capacity he has published over 110 peer-reviewed papers, two books and contributed to nine others. As an Honourary Research Associate with the FitzPatrick Institute Centre of Excellence at UCT, he also works on the effects of climate change on birds, improving vantage point observations at Wind Farms with statistical models, as well as the impact of domestic cats on biodiversity with MSc and PhD students at the FitzPatrick Institute, UCT. A full academic CV is available at www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za/fitz/staff/research/simmons and his consultancy experience is available at www.birds-and-bats-unlimited.com/birds RESULTS The Boulders Wind Farm has become a controversial topic among residents of the Paternoster and St Helena Bay area because of its visual impact, and the likely impact on this area of outstanding natural beauty and biodiversity. Here we assess the avian impacts. EXPECTED RAPTOR MORTALITIES at the BOULDERS WIND FARM It is important, but rarely possible, to understand the direct impacts of a proposed Wind Farm. It is nevertheless critical to understand what fatalities may occur and which species are likely to be affected. The ultimate measure of the potential impact of a proposed Wind Farm is to compare it with a neighbouring operational Wind Farm of the same capacity, in similar habitat. This we can do using results from the operational West Coast One Wind Farm (WC1WF) adjacent to the proposed Boulders Wind Farm (Figure 1). This has been surveyed for carcasses by Jenkins et al. (2017) who found, in 14 months’ post-construction monitoring, 54 bird carcasses. Among them were 31 (57%) birds of prey carcasses. These included an Endangered Martial Eagle (n=1), Vulnerable Lanner Falcons (n=3) and Least Concern Jackal Buzzards (n=17). These represent a high 2.2 raptor fatalities per month. Four of the 31 raptors (13%) were Red Data raptors. These are unadjusted fatality rates, and they arose despite mitigations, and despite drought conditions over the Western Cape. If we account for scavenger removal rates (60% in South Africa) that typically occurs within the first few days (Shaw et al. 2015), we can calculate that a minimum of 90 carcasses occurred at WC1WF before scavenging. This assumes all were located which is rarely true, so what follows are minimum estimates. Assuming the same proportion of raptors (57%) within those 90 carcasses over 14 months, we can make the following deductions for avian fatalities likely at the same sized Boulders WEF in a dry year: • A minimum of 77 birds will be killed per year at the Boulders Wind Farm; • About 57% (44) of these will be raptors; • About 13% (6) of these will be Red Data raptors per year. Figure 1: The extent of the Boulders WEF (grey polygon) and records of Red Data raptors and cranes present on the site over the last 3-4 years. Endangered Black Harriers (= red balloons) have been recorded foraging on the Boulders site and are particularly common in the most coastal areas where indigenous vegetation remains to the north and the west.