Bats

March 2018, Wind turbines impact bat activity, leading to high losses of habitat use in a biodiversity hotspot Millon et al., 2018  (full paper)   Ecological Engineering Volume 112, March 2018, Pages 51-54

“Wind turbines impact bat activity, leading to high losses of habitat use… (Fleming and Racey, 2009).

Frick et al., 2017     “Large numbers of migratory bats are killed every year at wind energy facilities. We show that mortality from wind turbines may drastically reduce population size and increase the risk of extinction. For example, the hoary bat population could decline by as much as 90% in the next 50 years. Our results suggest that wind energy development may pose a substantial threat to migratory bats in North America.

Hammerson et al, 2017      “Conservationists are increasingly concerned about North American bats due to the arrival and spread of the White-nose Syndrome (WNS) disease and mortality associated with wind turbine strikes. As of 2015, 18–31% of the species were at risk (categorized as having vulnerable, imperiled, or critically imperiled NatureServe conservation statuses) and therefore among the most imperiled terrestrial vertebrates on the continent.”

How are bats affected by wind turbines? United States Geological Survey (USGS)
Learn more at the USGS Bats website.

Wind farms and wind turbines. The Bat Conservation Trust.

Determining the Potential Ecological Impact of Wind Turbines on Bat Populations in Britain (University of Bristol and Bat Conservation Trust, 2009)

Bats and Single Large Wind Turbines: Joint Agencies Interim Guidance (Natural England, 2009)

Bats and Onshore Wind Turbines: Interim Guidance (Natural England 2012)

Understanding the Risk to European Protected Species (bats) at Onshore Wind Turbine Sites to Inform Risk Management (Defra, 2016)

Eurobats Resolutions, Reports and Publications (including guidance)

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