As demand for energy grows in Africa, particularly renewable energy so does the risk to biodiversity particularly birds increases. BirdLife International, the world’s largest Nature Conservation Partnership is addressing this challenge through various solutions to ensure that birds coexist safely with these developments.

Africa has the lowest access to electricity per capita; demand outstrips access leading to more than 600 million people without connection to electricity or just over 40 percent access rate. This also has a significant impediment to the continent’s socio-economic development. Access to energy is critical for unlocking economic potential of countries, achieving healthcare and education outcomes and ensuring inclusive growth.

It is estimated that this energy deficiency costs Africa 2-4 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually. Energy demand is on the rise, over the last 15 years, the continent has witnessed a 60 percent increase in uptake of renewable energy, however this only represents a fraction of Africa’s renewable energy potential.

On the other hand, the increasing developments in the energy sector, are unfortunately posing a threat to biodiversity particularly soaring migratory birds. The African-Eurasian flyway is endowed with billions of birds, with about two billion migrating between Africa and Eurasia but the region could easily become one of the most dangerous places for birds in Africa.

Biodiversity, particularly birds bear the brunt of these developments. Where projects are implemented without biodiversity considerations, wildlife including birds and other vulnerable species are put in danger. It is estimated that every year, millions of birds die from electrocution or collision with poorly deployed energy infrastructure. Negative interactions between wildlife and energy infrastructure can lead to power disruptions thus significant economic losses. Badly deployed energy infrastructure attracts opposition from the public, leading to delayed implementation of the affected projects. In extreme instances, the project may have to be redesigned or stopped altogether, which all have cost implications.

‘Clean’ does not necessarily mean ‘green’ as renewable energy infrastructure can have a profound impact on the environment and birds is a matter that governments, the financiers the developers must meaningfully integrate into their plans, programmes and energy projects particularly in Africa.

Dead flamingo killed by a powerline. PHOTO | NATURE KENYA

Impact on Birds

Wildlife including birds and mammals and their habitats can negatively be affected by affected by renewable energy developments when sustainability considerations are not well mainstreamed.A good example is the long distance migratory Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) which is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as globally Endangered.  Thousands of individuals of the species have died due to electrocution and collision with poorly designed powerlines along its migratory corridors and habitats.

In South Africa, where most studies have been conducted on the subject, 2294 dead birds were counted under a powerline in a span of  five years up to 2011. Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis), Jackal Buzzard (Buteo rufofuscus), and Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) have been the most frequently reported raptor fatalities.  Further, there is displacement and disturbance, habitat destruction, barrier effect, and injuries which affect these birds and other biodiversity.

Electrocuted flamingo lies on the ground. PHOTO | NATURE KENYA

Scalable Solutions

To address this challenge, collaboration between conservation organisations and energy sector stakeholders such as governments, power developers is needed. BirdLife and Partners are collaborating with stakeholders in the energy sector to provide practical and scalable solutions focussed on four vital areas of energy production value chain:

Planning: BirdLife promotes use of Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) at policy or programme level, as a conventional approach, to help in making informed decision for energy developments.  As part of tool kit to support sound decision making, BirdLife has developed risk screening tools, such as Avian Sensitivity Tool for Energy Planning (AVISTEP) which is  being rolled  out in Africa and elsewhere.  AVISTEP is an online open-source application to help decision makers identify where renewable energy infrastructure could impact birds and should therefore be avoided, ensuring that facilities are developed in the most appropriate locations.

Generation: Use of mitigation measures such as Shut Down on Demand (SHOD) to prevent bird collisions at wind farms. SHOD involves stopping turbines from rotating to avert collisions with oncoming vulnerable bird(s) but restarting when the collision threat is no more.

Power Transmission and Distribution: Use of nature friendly powerline infrastructure. This also entails use of mitigation measures to improve visibility and insulating wires to avoid collisions and electrocutions respectively.

Application of Shut-Down-On-Demand (SHOD) protocol

BirdLife has applied this solution as mitigation measure and promotes it across the flyway region where existing windfarms pose risks to birds. The 240MW Gabal-el Zayt wind farm is located in the western coast of the Gulf of Suez in Egypt. The location has some of the best wind regimes for power generation but also about 2.5 million migratory soaring birds use the Gulf of Suez to move between Africa and Eurasia.  

A staggering 400,000 birds from 41 migratory species have been recorded within the Gabal-el Zayt wind farm during spring migration alone. To address the threat of bird colliding with wind turbines, BirdLife engaged various stakeholders (with support from the GEF-UNDP Migratory Soaring Birds Project) and developed a Shut-Down-On-Demand (SHOD) protocol to reduce the collision risks. Its application has consequently averted massive bird mortalities and without significant power losses to the wind farm.

Retrofitting Powerlines

In Sudan, Port Sudan, a 31-km long powerline constructed in the 1950s   was estimated to have electrocuted thousands of long distance migratory Egyptian Vultures. The electrocutions also led to severe power outages. 

In 2013, BirdLife engaged NGO partners, national power transmission and distribution utilities, and other relevant government agencies in Sudan to replace the powerline with an insulated one. To date, no bird electrocutions from the line have been reported further, power outages have disappeared too. This intervention received global recognition and was the recipient of the 2015 “Good Practice Award” - Environmental protection Category, awarded by the Renewables-Grid-Initiative (RGI).

Partnerships

Renewable energy cannot be ‘green’ if the associated infrastructure continues to kill birds and harm other biodiversity. Through coalitions such as the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) Energy Task force (ETF) and CLEANaction we are working with others and calling for the adequate integration of biodiversity  protection  in the energy sector.

In 2022, BirdLife  partnered with Power Africa, a US government programme which aims to increase energy access in the continent. The BirdLife-Power Africa partnership hopes to deliver positive impact on people and the environment, through mainstreaming nature conservation considerations in the energy programmes.

Further, BirdLife is rallying its 26 national partners through the BirdLife Africa Energy Forum, to consolidate a voice for sustainable energy infrastructure deployment across the continent. BirdLife advocates for functional collaborations to ensure a win-win for both energy and nature conservation sectors.

For further information

Email: [email protected]

Website:  www.birdlife.org

BirdLife International, Africa Division Office, Nairobi Kenya