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Bird sensitivity map

Blades of wind turbine

RSPB Scotland is helping developers and local planning authorities identify sensitive areas for wind farm development.

We believe that climate change represents the biggest long-term threat to birds and other wildlife, and views renewable energy technologies, including wind power, as an important part of the solution. However, we must ensure that our most important wildlife sites are not put at risk by such developments.

Jointly funded by Scottish Natural Heritage, the RSPB Scotland has produced a bird and wind farm sensitivity map that identifies those areas where wind farms would pose a medium to high risk to important bird populations in Scotland. 

The map uses the most up to date information on threatened species including red and black-throated divers, the Slavonian grebe, bean goose, common scoter, red kite, white-tailed eagle, hen harrier, golden eagle, peregrine, black grouse, capercaillie, corncrake, golden plover, dunlin, Arctic skua and chough.

It is hoped the map will help minimise the conflict between wind farms and birds of high conservation concern by helping developers avoid the most sensitive sites.

You can download the full report and the map by clicking on the links to the right.

A planning aid for the future

The map is intended to help local authorities in planning for renewable energy developments. With ambitious targets being talked about for Scotland, developing a plan of where these developments can best be accommodated is vital to the successful roll-out of technologies like wind power.

Planning Policies recently consulted on by the Scottish Government are likely to require local authorities to determine what contribution they will make to meeting Scotland's renewable energy targets. Current proposals would also require them to identify broad areas of search for the location of wind farms, as well as pinpointing the areas that should be off-limits. With the aid of the map, RSPB Scotland hopes it will make it easier for local councils to identify these areas - especially those which are important for birds - as well as helping to speed up the planning process.

'We know that the risks to protected species from windfarms can be reduced if sensitive sites are avoided'

Highland Council has already used the map in the production of its renewable energy strategy, and 13 other councils have requested it.

John Rennilson, Head of Planning at Highland Council, said: 'We welcome all measures that put as much accurate information into the public domain to help planning decisions, and this sensitivity map was very useful in helping us to prepare our renewable energy strategy. Full disclosure of all the facts relating to the Highland area was vitally important and helped to inform decisions made by councillors.'

Strategic Locational Guidance

In March 2009, SNH revised their Strategic Locational Guidance for onshore wind farms to include the bird sensitivity dataset. The aim of the guidance is to guide the location of wind energy developments in Scotland as to minimise the effects on natural heritage.

Maps are used to identify where there are likely to be constraints with regards to natural heritage interests based on landscape considerations, designated sites, recreational interests and geological interests, as well as sensitive bird areas and these may be used by developers and local planning authorities to help identify where wind farms may have the less impact.

The revised guidance now incorporates the data from sensitivity map on a suite of sensitive bird species and provides a greater level of detail than the data set used in the previous version of the guidance. The guidance and associated maps are available from the SNH website. 

It is hoped that by taking a strategic approach to planning for wind farm development in Scotland, we will be able to deliver our renewable energy targets whilst safeguarding sensitive birds and other species.

Reducing the risk to sensitive species

Anne McCall, RSPB Scotland, said: 'We know that the risks to protected species from windfarms can be reduced if sensitive sites are avoided. We are optimistic that this timely research offers both local authorities and developers the kind of information that will ensure decisions can be made sensibly and swiftly.'

Rhys Bullman, of SNH, said: 'This extremely useful map utilises all the best current information that we have on the distribution of sensitive birds species throughout Scotland and will act as a useful aid to a broad range of users when determining suitable locations for renewable energy developments.'

Last modified: 06 May 2009

Downloads

Bird sensitivity map (220Kb)
Bird sensitivity map report (1.3Mb)
To provide locational guidance for onshore wind farms in Scotland