New modeling tool could help protect wildlife from offshore developments

Scientists have developed a new resource for better safety of the seabard from the effects of the offshore wind farms. New modeling equipment has the ability to save wildlife, ensuring effective and sustainable growth of renewable energy sources.

The new modeling tool led by researchers at the University of Glasgow, published in the journal Ecology and development methodsExtensive satellite tracking is the first of its kind to make an accurate prediction of space use of seabard colonies without the requirement of data requiring.

Sebard environmental assessment tools are used to inform planning decisions for offshore windmills. Being useful, current assessment methods can vary in accuracy and create offshore windforms in areas with high bird density. In contrast, offshore windform development can inadvertently be rejected by the overstimates of the beaches in the sea.

Many seabard species nest in colonies on small pieces of land, including groups of rocks from the coast. From there, the birds fly around a local area in the sea and fosters – their home range – which varies in size based on the size and location of the colony. Due to these specific behaviors, the central-place forests such as cabard, especially are sensitive to environmental stresses in their local environment, including the development of wind farms, which can have a serious impact on the number and welfare of the colony.

Using GPS tracking data from 8 Northern Ganenette colonies to verify their predictions, researchers show that their new equipment almost doubles the forecast power of other industry-standard methods. The new device was an average of 73% accurate compared to 41% of the current seabard assessment devices and 31% accuracy. Current methods also reduce the risk of colony for offshore wind fields in different scenarios.

Researchers believe that their new device may be transformational for the offshore windfarm scheme, allowing us to protect wildlife, while also securely manufacture sources of renewable energy.

The lead author of the study, Ph.D. A health and veterinary, a student from the School of Biodiversity Holi Niven said, “Accurate estimation of the effects of offshore wind fields and other stresses on the sebird can help us make more informed decisions about the plans of the offshore wind farm and protect species living around our shore.”

Additionally, researchers say that new modeling tools can also be used to accurately predict the space use of other colonial wildlife including seals, bats and bees.

Jason Maithiopolos, Professor of spatial and population ecology, who monitored the study, said, “Ironically, our progress towards wildlife conservation and our green energy can come into conflict with each other in various environmental positive activities. Solving these conflicts depends on good figures, but equally, on the equally, state-class computer modeling technology.”

Jana Jeglinski, Research Fellow and Co-Operator of Studies, said, “Many seabard colonies are located on remote islands or rocks, which makes GPS tracking studies extremely challenging or impossible. Our method can predict a realistic home range biologically realistic home range and is an explosion for such inaccessible nuances and for such a colony, which is for a colony, which is for a colony, which is for a colony. Which is for a colony, which is important for a colony.