Windmills not so green for wildlife

Windmills not so green for wildlife

News:

1. A recent research project found the impact of windmills over the wildlife in forests.

Important Facts:

2. A two-year research project by the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), commissioned by State government agencies, has studied about the danger posed by windmills over wildlife.

3. Impacts of windmills:

• The construction and maintenance of wind-energy facilities also alter ecosystem structure through vegetation clearing, soil disruption and potential for erosion.
• Alteration of vegetation, including forest clearing, represents the change through fragmentation and loss of habitat for some species.
• Changes in forest structure and the creation of openings alter microclimate and increase the amount of forest edge.
• The blades of the turbines drive away animals to the fringes of forests and this may lead to increased man-animal conflict.
• The windmills also lead to bird and bat mortalities through collisions with wind blades.
• The noise produced by the rotor blades, also leads the birds to move away from the noisy patches.

4. Way Forward: India needs a set of protocols and policy guidelines before diverting forest land for wind farms to promote renewable energy so that the fatalities are minimized and gains are optimally harnessed.