Abstract
The purpose of this report is to make recommendations on how offshore renewable energy projects can be best managed to reduce the potential negative impacts on marine fauna especially on seabirds. The guide is structured into four main sections.
Chapter 2 summarizes regulatory frameworks about birds’ conservation. The protection of biodiversity is included in several Conventions and European Directives. Under this regulatory framework protected areas have been established for threatened species conservation. These must be taken into account in the implementation of offshore renewable energy devices (ORED).
Chapter 3 focuses on installations of ORED (Offshore Renewable Energy Devices): resource availability and diversity of technology types that can be installed. The process of Environmental Impact Assessment is also summarised under this chapter as a legal tool needed to ensure that environmental issues are taken into account during all phases of project development.
In Chapter 4 potential impacts of OREDs on birds are reviewed. The major impacts reported are collision risk, habitat modification/loss, entrapment and artificial reef effect. These are dependent of the species and on the technology type.
Chapter 5 presents recommendations for a sustainable exploitation of offshore renewable energy and different methodologies that can be used to quantify or asses the impacts of OREDs on seabirds. Guidelines for stakeholder involvement and public awareness are also discussed within this chapter.
At the end of the guide a chapter of conclusions is presented.