Abstract
DHI in collaboration with British Trust for Ornithology have been commissioned by London Array Limited to model the abundance and area use of Red-throated Divers
Gavia stellata in the Outer Thames Estuary. London Array Limited has requested the work in support to the planning process for the second phase of the London Array Offshore Wind farm (LAOWF).
The main scope of the project has been to provide an independent and quantitative assessment of the density distribution of Red-throated Divers in the area with a focus
on the situation at the LAOWF site. The regional population is defined here as the population wintering within the North Sea. The provision of this assessment covers the following milestones:
- Estimation of the relative importance of the LAOWF site as a habitat for wintering
Red-throated Divers;
- Provision of unbiased estimates of the local population size of Red-throated Divers
within the Outer Thames Estuary;
- Assessment of the thresholds for un-sustainable impact of habitat loss at the level
of the North Sea wintering population of Red-throated Divers.