The discussion about whether wind turbines are harmful to animals is gaining importance. While wind energy is appreciated as a clean and sustainable energy source, there are concerns about its impacts on local wildlife. In particular, birds and bats appear to be affected by the turbines. Three employees of the nature and species protection team at Prokon report on their compensation measures to protect animals around the wind turbines. They care for dormice and red kites, plant mounded, densely planted earth walls, and provide sheep herds.
Wind turbines can be harmful to animals for various reasons. Birds and bats are especially affected as they can collide with the turbines during their flight routes. The rotors of wind turbines spin at high speeds and are particularly difficult for animals to spot, especially at night or in poor visibility conditions. Additionally, the noise and vibration from the turbines can disrupt the natural behaviour and communication of species that rely on acoustic signals. Furthermore, the construction and operation of wind farms lead to changes and sometimes loss of habitats, further impacting the local wildlife. Prokon is deeply committed to species and nature conservation, and therefore, various measures are taken to mitigate the impacts of wind turbines on the environment.
A cry for help came from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Near the planned Prokon wind farm near Granzin, a red kite nest was discovered - a case for Melanie Schindler, who oversees nature and species conservation in the eastern states for Prokon from Potsdam.
"Because the nest is near the planned facilities, diversion areas need to be created," says the project coordinator.
In this specific case, Melanie Schindler has agreed with a landowner that one of her fields will no longer be intensively cultivated but converted into fallow land. Here, the red kites can see their prey better, attracting them. At the same time, the birds stay away from the rotors and do not come in danger. Melanie Schindler is one of three full-time nature and species conservationists at Prokon. Their task: to offset interventions in nature that are necessary for the construction of wind turbines. They are involved in the planning phase of new facilities, commissioning assessments, and agreeing on compensation measures for land consumption as well as protection measures for endangered animal and plant species. When it comes to implementation, the Prokon environmentalists ensure that specialist companies reliably carry out the measures.
"In almost every project, a sensitive species emerges somewhere, and it usually has wings," says Janine Friedhoff, who is based in Itzehoe, northern Germany.
For example, during the repowering of the Horst wind farm in Schleswig-Holstein: "There are two white stork nests located one kilometer away," explains the trained conservationist and landscape planner. Although the storks coexisted well with the old wind turbines, the landscape will change for the birds due to the planned repowering. Therefore, distraction areas are also being created here. Janine Friedhoff has multiple small bodies of water created to help the storks find their favorite frogs here. Additionally, grassland is being seeded with diverse species of plants to enhance its ecological value. A field is also being sown with clover grass and mowed very frequently.
"In the short clover grass, the storks can see the mice better," explains Janine Friedhoff. Another project, on the other hand, is currently protecting the small rodents. "The hazel dormouse is a highly sensitive species," says Janine Friedhoff.
The animal is not actually a mouse but the smallest representative of our native dormice, which are nocturnal rodents. Because their habitat is becoming increasingly scarce, the conservationist had almost 300 metres of so-called 'Knicks' created in the Schönwalde-Altenkrempe wind farm in Ostholstein. These are raised, densely planted earth walls that were traditionally used in windy Schleswig-Holstein to protect the soil from erosion but have largely disappeared today due to the trend towards larger fields in many places. However, these Knick areas provide habitat for many animal and plant species, including the hazel dormouse. In addition to the new Knick areas, Prokon also enhanced the ecological value of a 600-metre-long riverbank strip along the Kremper Au in Ostholstein. The riverbank was flattened, willows and shrubs were planted, and nest options for insects were created. These measures improve the habitat for various fish species and the strictly protected otter. People also benefit: they can experience the natural water body during a walk along the newly designed western bank.
Pedestrians still need some patience with the project of Mainz-based Prokon nature conservationist Rah Keifenheim. The environmental engineer has reforested an area in the Hunsrück region in the Benzweiler wind farm - it will take a few years of strong growth before it becomes a pleasant forest walk. Rah Keifenheim is responsible for nature and species protection in Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Saarland at Prokon.
"I am involved in about 30 projects in total, with 15 of them quite intensively," reports Rah Keifenheim.
He accompanies approval procedures and commissions the studies that examine how nature and species in the vicinity of planned installations are to be protected. Once the approvals are obtained, he ensures the implementation of compensation measures.
"Every project has its challenges," Rah Keifenheim learned in his first year of work, "we often come across the red kite - in relation to wind power, this is a sensitive issue."
But so far, Rah Keifenheim has always found a solution to protect the birds. In the spring, Melanie Schindler in Saxony-Anhalt dealt with four-legged animals. In the vicinity of the Eilsleben-Ovelgünne wind farm, Prokon had established an orchard many years ago as a compensation measure. This orchard had since been overgrown by bushes. In collaboration with the Kulturlandschaft Sachsen-Anhalt Foundation, the pear, cherry, and plum trees were cleared of overgrown shrubs and will in the future be grazed by sheep and goats to prevent further bush encroachment.
Whether it's about small mice or large-scale renaturation projects, the work of the three nature and species conservationists aligns with Prokon's philosophy of sustainability - every intervention in nature is counterbalanced. Through appropriate measures and compliance with species protection guidelines, the risks posed by wind turbines to animals and the environment can be mitigated. A much greater danger to animals is climate change - and this is to be countered by the expansion of wind energy.
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