Abstract
There is a recognised need to mitigate against potential negative impacts that some powerlines might have on bird populations, and reducing collision and electrocution risk is a priority for Transmission System Operators (TSOs). Consequently, a significant amount of data is collected on presence of species, behaviour, and observed mortality rates to help better understand potential impacts and plan avoidance, mitigation and conservation strategies. However, such data are not yet fully centralised or available in a systematic way for wider use. This work aims to provide a first step in the centralisation and understanding of the quality and scope of bird data collected by TSOs through use of a questionnaire and workshop with TSOs, NGOs and academics. A total of 16 TSOs from Europe responded to the questionnaire (and a further six companies that were either outside of Europe or operated low/medium-voltage lines within Europe). In general, most TSOs collect at least some bird data during the construction and/or monitoring phases, but the extent and scope of the data differs among companies. Some TSOs have close partnerships with conservation non-governmental organisations, which appears to strengthen the amount and scope of data collected, and already participate in data sharing. However, others do not currently share their data widely because they lack the data or resources, there is no centralised system, and it is unclear who to share with and what to share. From the workshop, it is clear that there is a shared goal among stakeholders to reduce bird mortalities, whether it be for conservation or money-saving purposes and key data requirements include access to bird abundance data, sensitivity mapping to prioritise risk, information on mortalities and information on mitigation effectiveness.