Power Lines and Birds: Drivers of Conflict-Prone Use of Pylons by Nesting White Storks (<i>Ciconia ciconia</i>)
Energy infrastructure is expanding at a global scale and can represent a major threat to wildlife populations. Power lines are one of the main sources of human-induced avian mortality due to electrocution or collision, but many species use electricity pylons as a structure for nesting. Pylon nesting...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-11-01
|
| Series: | Diversity |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/14/11/984 |
| _version_ | 1827644654775959552 |
|---|---|
| author | Evan M. Burdett Roberto Muriel Virginia Morandini Mahmood Kolnegari Miguel Ferrer |
| author_facet | Evan M. Burdett Roberto Muriel Virginia Morandini Mahmood Kolnegari Miguel Ferrer |
| author_sort | Evan M. Burdett |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Energy infrastructure is expanding at a global scale and can represent a major threat to wildlife populations. Power lines are one of the main sources of human-induced avian mortality due to electrocution or collision, but many species use electricity pylons as a structure for nesting. Pylon nesting results in human-wildlife conflict because it can cause power outages and structural damage to power lines. The white stork (<i>Ciconia ciconia</i>) is a large-size semicolonial species that increasingly nests on pylons, causing growing operational and economic issues to power companies and energy consumers. In this study, the likelihood of problematic pylon use by nesting storks was predicted using a suite of explanatory variables related to the availability of foraging habitat and human disturbance. During a five-year period (2015–2019), we assessed the distribution of stork nests removed from the highly-risky top part of transmission pylons (220–400 kV) by power company technicians in South western Spain. A total of 839 nests were removed from 11% of the transmission pylons (<i>n</i> = 1196) during the study period. Pylon use intensified on pylons located near to landfills, surrounded by high proportion of grassland, and when close to freshwater sources (water body or river) and other occupied pylons. Human disturbance was unlikely to deter storks from using pylons and pylon use increased in urban areas. The approach used here to predict pylon use by nesting birds has applications for both human-wildlife conflict mitigation and conservation purposes where endangered species use human infrastructure. Power companies may use this kind of information to install anti-nesting devices (to reduce power outages and avian mortality or nesting platforms on suitable pylons (to promote pylons use by endangered species), and to account for the likelihood of conflict-prone use of pylons when siting future power lines. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:23:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-831cd9811da247d7941c2c041c29346c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:23:32Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-831cd9811da247d7941c2c041c29346c2023-11-24T08:06:16ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182022-11-01141198410.3390/d14110984Power Lines and Birds: Drivers of Conflict-Prone Use of Pylons by Nesting White Storks (<i>Ciconia ciconia</i>)Evan M. Burdett0Roberto Muriel1Virginia Morandini2Mahmood Kolnegari3Miguel Ferrer4Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), Avd. Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, SpainDoñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), Avd. Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, SpainFundación Migres, CIMA, N-340 Km 85, 11380 Tarifa, SpainIran’s Birds and Power Lines Committee, Arak, IranDoñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), Avd. Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, SpainEnergy infrastructure is expanding at a global scale and can represent a major threat to wildlife populations. Power lines are one of the main sources of human-induced avian mortality due to electrocution or collision, but many species use electricity pylons as a structure for nesting. Pylon nesting results in human-wildlife conflict because it can cause power outages and structural damage to power lines. The white stork (<i>Ciconia ciconia</i>) is a large-size semicolonial species that increasingly nests on pylons, causing growing operational and economic issues to power companies and energy consumers. In this study, the likelihood of problematic pylon use by nesting storks was predicted using a suite of explanatory variables related to the availability of foraging habitat and human disturbance. During a five-year period (2015–2019), we assessed the distribution of stork nests removed from the highly-risky top part of transmission pylons (220–400 kV) by power company technicians in South western Spain. A total of 839 nests were removed from 11% of the transmission pylons (<i>n</i> = 1196) during the study period. Pylon use intensified on pylons located near to landfills, surrounded by high proportion of grassland, and when close to freshwater sources (water body or river) and other occupied pylons. Human disturbance was unlikely to deter storks from using pylons and pylon use increased in urban areas. The approach used here to predict pylon use by nesting birds has applications for both human-wildlife conflict mitigation and conservation purposes where endangered species use human infrastructure. Power companies may use this kind of information to install anti-nesting devices (to reduce power outages and avian mortality or nesting platforms on suitable pylons (to promote pylons use by endangered species), and to account for the likelihood of conflict-prone use of pylons when siting future power lines.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/14/11/984human-wildlife conflictenergy infrastructureelectricity pylonspower linesmitigationland use |
| spellingShingle | Evan M. Burdett Roberto Muriel Virginia Morandini Mahmood Kolnegari Miguel Ferrer Power Lines and Birds: Drivers of Conflict-Prone Use of Pylons by Nesting White Storks (<i>Ciconia ciconia</i>) Diversity human-wildlife conflict energy infrastructure electricity pylons power lines mitigation land use |
| title | Power Lines and Birds: Drivers of Conflict-Prone Use of Pylons by Nesting White Storks (<i>Ciconia ciconia</i>) |
| title_full | Power Lines and Birds: Drivers of Conflict-Prone Use of Pylons by Nesting White Storks (<i>Ciconia ciconia</i>) |
| title_fullStr | Power Lines and Birds: Drivers of Conflict-Prone Use of Pylons by Nesting White Storks (<i>Ciconia ciconia</i>) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Power Lines and Birds: Drivers of Conflict-Prone Use of Pylons by Nesting White Storks (<i>Ciconia ciconia</i>) |
| title_short | Power Lines and Birds: Drivers of Conflict-Prone Use of Pylons by Nesting White Storks (<i>Ciconia ciconia</i>) |
| title_sort | power lines and birds drivers of conflict prone use of pylons by nesting white storks i ciconia ciconia i |
| topic | human-wildlife conflict energy infrastructure electricity pylons power lines mitigation land use |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/14/11/984 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT evanmburdett powerlinesandbirdsdriversofconflictproneuseofpylonsbynestingwhitestorksiciconiaciconiai AT robertomuriel powerlinesandbirdsdriversofconflictproneuseofpylonsbynestingwhitestorksiciconiaciconiai AT virginiamorandini powerlinesandbirdsdriversofconflictproneuseofpylonsbynestingwhitestorksiciconiaciconiai AT mahmoodkolnegari powerlinesandbirdsdriversofconflictproneuseofpylonsbynestingwhitestorksiciconiaciconiai AT miguelferrer powerlinesandbirdsdriversofconflictproneuseofpylonsbynestingwhitestorksiciconiaciconiai |