THE IMPACT OF WIND ENERGY ON WILDIFE AND THE ENVIRONMENT Papers from the Berlin Seminar

I apologise if I start at the end but I think that is a good place to see where you are going to:

Concluding remarks
Hilmar Freiherr von Münchhausen, German Wildlife Foundation
This paper, produced by the Global Warming Policy Foundation and the German Wildlife Foundation, takes a Europe-wide look at the conflict between wind energy and nature conservation. In many European countries, people are opposing wind energy projects that are destroying wildlife habitats. We need to be aware that all energy sources have a negative impact on the environment and nature. It is therefore all the more important to generate reliable scientific results about these impacts. The German PROGRESS study, which reviews the effects of wind energy on bird life, shows the great effort and difficulty involved in collecting meaningful data. The study is so valuable because it provides scientifically sound quantitative results. This is of the utmost importance for a fact-based political discussion. In particular, the consequences of wind turbines in forests are serious for many types of wildlife. We observe with great concern the massive expansion of wind power in Germany’s forest areas. The lack of public consultation in the planning of wind energy projects are shown by the examples from Ireland. It is worrisome when valuable landscapes are given official protection, yet those protections become completely ineffective where the construction of wind turbines is concerned. It is rather alarming that there is collusion between the wind industry and actors in the planning and approval process. As a financially independent advocate of nature conservation and species conservation, the German Wildlife Foundation is implacably committed to the protection of wildlife and its habitats. At the same time, we are working on the subject of wind energy with the same vigour as we do in the field of forestry, agriculture or hunting. An open and constructive debate on the consequences that wind energy can have on wildlife – from insects to black storks to wildcats – is more than overdue. It is important to make people aware of the conflicts affecting nature conservation and ultimately to educate policy makers. The German Wildlife Foundation regards wind energy as an important contributor to the energy mix of the future. Its further expansion in Germany, Europe and also worldwide, however, should not be promoted at any price. For Germany, at least for the construction of wind turbines in the forest, we demand a moratorium. This would allow us to reconsider the future course of action and, on the basis of scientific findings and national and European nature conservation laws, to adopt a far-sighted course in line with the precautionary principle that is enshrined in environmental policy. We thank everyone who contributed to this paper. May its contents find their way into the social and political decision-making process so as to guide the future of wind energy in Germany and Europe.

The Report that is the forerunner to these comments is contained in this link We would congratulate the Global Warming Policy Foundation and The German Wildlife Foundation for producing this. It makes somewhat sobering reading and does much to re-enforce views that we have held for some time often based on anecdotal evidence. This provides the bones that hold the whole body of evidence together.