Lake Turkana Wind Power Project - Kenya Ornithological and Bat Surveys Interim Report July 2011 Prepared for Aldwych International & LTWP Lake Turkana Wind Project Ornithological and Bat Surveys – Interim Report Revision Schedule D132282 July 2011 Rev Date Details Prepared by Reviewed by Approved by 01 6th May 2011 DRAFT Kevin Du Rose David Broughton Russell Foxwell Ornithologist Senior Ecologist Associate Director Mike Padfield Senior Ecologist 02 21st July DRAFTv2 Kevin Du Rose David Broughton Russell Foxwell 2011 Ornithologist Senior Ecologist Associate Director Mike Padfield Senior Ecologist 03 28th July FINAL Kevin Du Rose David Broughton Russell Foxwell 2011 Ornithologist Senior Ecologist Associate Director Mike Padfield Senior Ecologist URS Scott Wilson Ltd Meridian House 1 Meridian Way Norwich Norfolk NR7 0TA Tel. 01603 706 420 Fax. 01603 706 421 www.urs-scottwilson.com Limitations URS Scott Wilson Ltd (“URS Scott Wilson”) has prepared this Report for the sole use of the Client in accordance with the Agreement under which our services were performed. 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Lake Turkana Wind Project Ornithological and Bat Surveys – Interim Report Table of Contents 1 Introduction ...................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ......................................................................................................................1 2 Ornithological Surveys .................................................................... 4 2.1 Methods............................................................................................................................ 4 2.2 Results ............................................................................................................................. 7 2.3 Transect survey October 2010 to April 2011.................................................................... 9 2.4 Discussion ......................................................................................................................11 2.5 Initial Conclusions and Recommendations .................................................................... 13 3 Bat Surveys..................................................................................... 15 3.1 Introduction..................................................................................................................... 15 3.2 Methods.......................................................................................................................... 15 3.3 Results ........................................................................................................................... 17 3.4 Discussion ......................................................................................................................18 3.5 Conclusions and Recommendations.............................................................................. 18 4 Overall Initial Conclusions ............................................................ 20 Appendices................................................................................................ 21 Appendix 1 - Vantage Point Locations, Method and Recording Forms........................................ 21 Appendix 2 - Target species flights recorded at each vantage point from October 2010 to April 2011 ....................................................................................................................... 28 Appendix 3 - Total number of bird registrations for all target species recorded during the transect counts conducted from October 2010 to April 2011 ......................................... 31 Appendix 4 – IUCN Red List status of target species recorded on site........................................ 33 Appendix 5 – Bat Survey Results March 2011............................................................................. 34 Appendix 6 – Draft Ornithology and Bat Monitoring Methodology ............................................... 38 Lake Turkana Wind Project Ornithological and Bat Surveys – Interim Report 1 Introduction 1.1 Background 1.1.1 The proposed Lake Turkana Wind Power Project (LTWP) is situated in the Marsabit district of northwest Kenya (see Figure 1). The project aims to provide 300MW of wind energy for the national grid, via a series of 365 wind turbines. In addition to the turbines associated infrastructure will include turbine connection cables, improved access roads and workers village. 1.1.2 The wind farm will be positioned within an overall project site of 40,000 acres (162km2), with the turbines located at a distance of around 7km to the east of Lake Turkana itself. 1.1.3 An Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the wind farm development has been undertaken by others, formally approved and an EIA license was issued in July 2009. It was recommended that a one-year programme of ornithological surveys be carried out to validate the conclusions of the ESIA prepared for the Project. 1.1.4 LTWP commissioned URS Scott Wilson to carry out a review (the ‘Review1’) of the Project and the relevant project submissions, against the environmental and social requirements of the IFC Performance Standards. URS Scott Wilson was also commissioned to design and manage the ornithological surveys. 1.1.5 The ornithological survey method is based on best practice methods and was prepared following a reconnaissance survey and discussions with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the National Museums of Kenya (NMK). 1.1.6 The surveys commenced in October 2010 using a team of ornithologists from the NMK. The surveys are conducted on a monthly basis over a twelve month period, including additional survey effort in the two migration periods of Autumn and Spring, which coincide with the months of October/November 2010 and March/April 2011. 1.1.7 An initial Progress Report was issued in December 2010, presenting a summary of the initial results arising from the first two months of survey, October and November 2010. 1.1.8 This Interim Report presents a summary of the combined initial results arising from the first seven month’s survey (October 2010 to April 2011) including both the autumn and spring migration periods and an additional raptor flight line survey at one Vantage Point (VP8). The surveys in May and June 2011 have been undertaken, but have not yet been analysed. The full analysis of potential for bird strike from wind turbines will be modelled on the basis of a more complete data set (one year). The purpose of this report is to present the findings of the surveys to-date, including initial recommendations and conclusions, which might affect the project process. This includes draft operational monitoring recommendations. 1.1.9 Whilst not a specific requirement for approval of the EIA for the wind farm, it was recommended in the Review that further investigation of the bats using the site be carried out to determine potential impacts to bats from the project. The survey involved a week of surveys undertaken in March 2011 using bat specialists from the NMK and URS Scott Wilson. 1 Scott Wilson (May 2011) Lake Turkana Wind Power Project, Kenya, IFC Performance Standards on Social & Environmental Sustainability: Project Review Ornithological and Bat Surveys July 2011 1 Lake Turkana