New technology to create safer flyways for birds

In February 2021, at the Soysambu Conservancy in Nakuru, three endangered Rothschild's giraffes were killed by low-hanging power lines.

Around the same time, a flock of flamingos also became victims of the ever-increasing casualties in the delicate balance between conservation and development.

While these incidences of infrastructure killing birds have been on the rise, given the numerous key biodiversity areas, Kenya has been mapped among countries with fast-emerging renewable energy sectors but with low levels of existing regulations.

And now, conservation organisations have teamed up to launch a technology that will help countries like Kenya to identify suitable areas to put up renewable energy infrastructure to avoid killing birds.

This is because many developed and developing countries are significantly increasing their development of renewable energy infrastructure, which, on the other hand, is impacting endangered and threatened bird species and their habitats if not planned correctly.

The technology, known as Avian Sensitivity Tool for Energy Planning (Avistep), has been launched in Kenya, Egypt, Laos, and Uzbekistan by BirdLife International.

“Each of the new countries—Kenya, Egypt, Laos, and Uzbekistan—is experiencing rapidly expanding energy infrastructure and has significant populations of potentially sensitive bird species,” BirdLife notes.

Locally, Nature Kenya has been guiding the development of the tool to help create safer renewable energy development practices in the country.

The technology utilises information on global biodiversity, on protected areas, on on Important Bird Areas, and on on all available national information on bird occurrence and high-resolution satellite imagery. It also has expert analysis on the mapped areas.

“The tool is set to curb deaths of millions of birds that are killed along different flyways as they migrate between their wintering grounds and breeding sites,” Nature Kenya director PaulMatiku said.

He added that in Kenya, many bird species, including vultures, flamingos, and many other migrating birds, are threatened by power line infrastructure along the migratory flyways. Power lines are the major causes of collision and electrocution.

 “This is a groundbreaking tool that will revolutionise how we approach energy planning in Kenya. It will ensure that raptor conservation is at the forefront by identifying key habitats and flight paths of these vital species,” he said.

The new tool provides users with heat maps depicting the potential sensitivity of an area in relation to how often the birds use the area. This way, energy developers can be able to minimise the risks and combat bird strikes.

“With this information, we can guide sustainable energy development that minimises risks to raptors and supports their long-term survival,” he said.

Kenya’s Rift Valley is part of the critical flight path used by migratory birds flying from continent to continent. It is part of the Afro-Eurasian flyway that connects migratory birds flying from Africa, Europe, and through Asia.

The flyway along Kenya’s Rift is, however, threatened by infrastructure, including power lines.

With the adoption of the new tool, energy developers and regulators will be able to understand the potential risks posed to birds by certain types of energy infrastructure. This, the stakeholders say, will improve early-stage renewable energy planning.

While countries are in a rush to put up green energy infrastructure, stakeholders observed that there is still little knowledge by developers on the distribution of birds.

“There is an incomplete understanding of the factors that make certain bird species more susceptible to impacts from energy infrastructure,” BirdLife says in a statement.

Although birds are critical ecosystem indicators, wildlife poisoning and energy infrastructure threaten them. Birds of prey are also threatened by the expansion of infrastructure.

The new tool has since been used in countries including India, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam.

cchebet@standardmedia.co.ke