Transcript Document

Ecology:
Mitigation &
Enhancement
for
Onshore Wind Farms
Rachael Iveson
Senior Ecologist
28th March 2014
Overview
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My background
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Ecological consultancy
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What we do
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Legislation
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Site assessment
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Environmental Impact Assessment
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Avoidance, mitigation, compensation and
enhancement
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Examples
My Background
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2003 BSc (Hons) Forensic Science
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6 years in pharmaceutical industry
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2010 MSc Environmental Studies
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3 years working for RPS (UK engineering and
environmental consultancy)
1 year working for dedicated ecology
consultancy, MacArthur Green
Ecology Consultancy – Our Work
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Majority = ecological assessment of a site for a
proposed development
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Planning requirement
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Monitoring (usually post-consent)
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Population modelling, collision modelling
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Advising statutory bodies - guidance
Legislation
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European
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UK: WCA, Protection of Badgers Act
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Scottish (e.g. water vole)
Statutory Agencies
SNH, SEPA, Marine Scotland
Guidance
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Individual species: otter, GCN, wildcat, bats, adder, golden
eagles, hen harrier, Killarney fern, etc.
National
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Natura 2000 sites; Birds Directive; Habitats Directive
EU, UK, Scottish
Invasive non-native species
Wind Farm – Assessment
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Desk based study
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Field surveys
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Consultation
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Ecological
Assessment
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Significance
Avoidance,
Mitigation,
Compensation,
Enhancement
Avoidance (Design Mitigation)
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Results of ecology surveys should feed into the
design as early as possible.
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Infrastructure: turbines, borrow pits, substation,
tracks, lay-down areas, etc.
Avoidance – use of buffer zones
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Protected features
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Habitats and water (inc. GWDTEs)
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Flight paths (birds and bats)
Mitigation
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Pre-construction, construction, operation,
decommission
Good practice
measures
Tailored to habitats/
species/ features
present
Species Protection
Plans
Compensation
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Required when mitigation can not be fully
achieved on site, e.g. destruction of a protected
feature.
'Like for like' replacement. Example:
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Otter holt underneath root plate of a tree – required
to be felled
Artificial Otter Holt
Enhancement
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Operational Phase – life of wind farm
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Habitat or Conservation Management Plans
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How is this achieved?
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Planning condition
Steering Group –
agreement
Monitoring and reporting
Enhancement
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Example:
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Fairburn Wind Farm
Conservation Management Plan (CMP)
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Wind Farm consented 2009, commissioned 2010
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20 x 1.75MW turbines (35MW generating capacity)
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Wind farm covers 348 ha
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CMP covers Fairburn Estate: 4,711 ha (~6x7 km2)
Fairburn Wind Farm CMP – Aims
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Mitigation to reduce impacts to raptors – loss of
foraging habitat and collision of merlin, hen
harrier and red kites
Compensation for loss of semi-natural
broadleaved woodland
Enhancement and restoration for native
woodland, blanket bog & golden eagle prey
Monitoring
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Ensure all Aims are being achieved
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Programme in CMP:
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Vegetation monitoring
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Bird monitoring
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Prey monitoring
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Conducted periodically
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Reported to Habitat Management Group
Mark Hill Wind Farm
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Existing site in operation
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Consented 2008, commissioned 2011
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28 turbines (56MW generating capacity)
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Habitat Management Plan
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Aims: to restore blanket bog and native
woodland (UK BAP species)
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Baseline – commercial forestry
HMP area extends beyond WF area
Mark Hill Wind Farm – Aims of HMP
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Blanket bog restoration and enhancement
Native woodland establishment and enhance
existing woodland
Habitat enhancement for amphibians and
reptiles
Riparian habitat enhancement
Summary
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Overview of ecology consultancy in
development of wind farms
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Planning through to operation
Avoidance, mitigation and compensation –
'neutralise' impacts from wind farm
Enhancement – where possible
Dependent on land availability, ecology on site,
developer, planning conditions
Future Improvements?
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Future enhancement opportunities
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Objectives and prescriptions – do these need
further scientific rigour?
Should enhancement measures be mandatory?
How can enhancement appeal to developers incentives?
Biodiversity offsetting – can a metric be applied to
ecosystem services, that also incorporates social,
economic and other environmental factors?
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Putting a price on the environment
Planning system – policies, guidance to LPAs,
enforcement
Any Questions?
If you would like to ask me any other questions
please feel free to send me an e-mail:
[email protected]