Rangeland Ecology & Management

Get reliable science

WIND FARMS AND WILDLIFE: SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS AND REMAINING CHALLENGES
Author
Maczko, Kristie
Kreuter, Urs P.
Fox Iii, William E.
Tanaka, John A.
Duke, Cliff S.
Boydston, Kathy
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2015
Body

Wind energy is renewable and therefore a popular clean alternative to fossil fuels. Consequently, it is a politically attractive alternative to oil and natural gas production so financial incentives have been provided to the wind power industry to encourage development of wind farms in the United States. The wind power industry has responded by increasing development of wind farms throughout North America. Unfortunately, this development has not always been accompanied by assessment of impacts that construction and operation of turbines have on wildlife resources. Often wind farms are sited in areas that represent important habitats to various wildlife species, and if impact assessment is accomplished it is often done in a manner that lacks scientific rigor. We recognized this in an earlier paper published in 2007 in which we identified challenges and offered specific recommendations. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to discuss progress that has been made in assessing the impacts of wind farm development on wildlife in North America as well as identify specific challenges that remain. Particular emphasis will be placed on wind farm developments on rangelands, though wind farm research accomplished throughout North America will be discussed and important work elsewhere in the world will also be mentioned. A very important issue that will be discussed is the almost complete lack of meaningful cumulative impact assessments that have been done for wind farm developments in North America.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Sacramento, CA