GPS tracking data can document wind turbine interactions: Evidence from a GPS-tagged Eurasian curlew
The Eurasian Curlew is an endangered long-lived shorebird breeding in grassland and moorland, with declining numbers across its range due to habitat loss and former hunting. In this context, any additional adult mortality can have a noticeable impact on population dynamics, hence on extinction risk....
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Forensic Science International: Animals and Environments |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666937421000354 |
| _version_ | 1818723672498634752 |
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| author | Frédéric Jiguet Philipp Schwemmer Pierre Rousseau Pierrick Bocher |
| author_facet | Frédéric Jiguet Philipp Schwemmer Pierre Rousseau Pierrick Bocher |
| author_sort | Frédéric Jiguet |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Eurasian Curlew is an endangered long-lived shorebird breeding in grassland and moorland, with declining numbers across its range due to habitat loss and former hunting. In this context, any additional adult mortality can have a noticeable impact on population dynamics, hence on extinction risk. We report a case of a GPS-tagged individual which track revealed an unusual stopover at the bottom of a wind turbine along its migration route. The curlew rested hours in an unfavourable environment before moving to the adjacent coastal shore, then completed its migration journey the next day. In previous studies, GPS-tags helped to identify death casualties at wind farms, but to our knowledge this is the first detailed report of a non-lethal injury of a tagged animal by a wind turbine, probably by the vortex of rotors. This case alerts on the further potential impacts of wind farm development close to breeding, wintering and stopover sites frequented by Eurasian curlews and other birds. Any wind farm development project should consider the opportunity to avoid, reduce or compensate potential lethal and non-lethal impacts on wildlife. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T21:14:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b623286203884f23a0097111aee7e48d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-9374 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T21:14:15Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forensic Science International: Animals and Environments |
| spelling | doaj.art-b623286203884f23a0097111aee7e48d2022-12-21T21:32:23ZengElsevierForensic Science International: Animals and Environments2666-93742021-11-011100036GPS tracking data can document wind turbine interactions: Evidence from a GPS-tagged Eurasian curlewFrédéric Jiguet0Philipp Schwemmer1Pierre Rousseau2Pierrick Bocher3UMR7204 Centre d′Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation, MNHN CNRS SU, CP135, 43 Rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France; Corresponding author.Research and Technology Centre (FTZ), Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Hafentörn 1, 25761 Büsum, GermanyNational Nature Reserve of Moëze-Oléron, LPO Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux, Noureau, 17780 Saint-Froult, FranceLaboratory Littoral Environnement et Sociétés UMR LIENSs 7266 CNRS, La Rochelle University, La Rochelle, FranceThe Eurasian Curlew is an endangered long-lived shorebird breeding in grassland and moorland, with declining numbers across its range due to habitat loss and former hunting. In this context, any additional adult mortality can have a noticeable impact on population dynamics, hence on extinction risk. We report a case of a GPS-tagged individual which track revealed an unusual stopover at the bottom of a wind turbine along its migration route. The curlew rested hours in an unfavourable environment before moving to the adjacent coastal shore, then completed its migration journey the next day. In previous studies, GPS-tags helped to identify death casualties at wind farms, but to our knowledge this is the first detailed report of a non-lethal injury of a tagged animal by a wind turbine, probably by the vortex of rotors. This case alerts on the further potential impacts of wind farm development close to breeding, wintering and stopover sites frequented by Eurasian curlews and other birds. Any wind farm development project should consider the opportunity to avoid, reduce or compensate potential lethal and non-lethal impacts on wildlife.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666937421000354Endangered speciesGPS trackingNon-lethal impactNumenius arquataRenewable energyWind farm |
| spellingShingle | Frédéric Jiguet Philipp Schwemmer Pierre Rousseau Pierrick Bocher GPS tracking data can document wind turbine interactions: Evidence from a GPS-tagged Eurasian curlew Forensic Science International: Animals and Environments Endangered species GPS tracking Non-lethal impact Numenius arquata Renewable energy Wind farm |
| title | GPS tracking data can document wind turbine interactions: Evidence from a GPS-tagged Eurasian curlew |
| title_full | GPS tracking data can document wind turbine interactions: Evidence from a GPS-tagged Eurasian curlew |
| title_fullStr | GPS tracking data can document wind turbine interactions: Evidence from a GPS-tagged Eurasian curlew |
| title_full_unstemmed | GPS tracking data can document wind turbine interactions: Evidence from a GPS-tagged Eurasian curlew |
| title_short | GPS tracking data can document wind turbine interactions: Evidence from a GPS-tagged Eurasian curlew |
| title_sort | gps tracking data can document wind turbine interactions evidence from a gps tagged eurasian curlew |
| topic | Endangered species GPS tracking Non-lethal impact Numenius arquata Renewable energy Wind farm |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666937421000354 |
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