Sustainable development of wind power in western Lithuania (DAVEP-VLIT) (project
leader: Dr. M. Dagys, project partners: Nature Research Centre (support recipient), The
Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Lithuanian Centre for Sustainable
Development, and Lithuanian Wind Power Plant Association, project reference number
EEE-LT03-AM-01-K-01-011, 2014–2016
Although wind power is attractive due to low CO 2 emissions, its development exerts a
direct adverse impact on biodiversity. There are three major ways in which wind power
development affects biodiversity: direct displacement when wind power plants (WPP)
are built at wintering or stopover sites of birds), direct collisions (when migrating or
hovering birds are killed or injured by turbine blades, and decompression (when
rotating blades cause air pressure changes resulting in death of animals, mainly bats). It
is expected that the density of WPPs in Lithuania will continue to grow beyond 2020.
Consequently, the scale of conflict between wind power expansion and biodiversity
protection will inevitably increase, especially in western Lithuania, which is an
important area for migration of birds and bats. Identification of zones of potential
conflict between wind power development and biodiversity protection, along with
preparation of recommendations for conflict mitigation measures, are important steps
towards more efficient management of already existing measures and avoidance of
future conflicts. The spatial data analysis-based tool (model) created in the course of
the current project will allow visualisation and mapping of the conflict scale. Project
results will help all interested parties find the best solutions for making wind power
development as sustainable as possible. In addition, more effective biodiversity
protection, lower time and money expenditures in the phase of project implementation
and simpler environmental impact assessment process will be ensured.
Objectives of the project include identification of conflict zones that are both vulnerable
to the development of wind power facilities and are requiring of biodiversity protection
and preparation of conflict management recommendations.
Tasks and activities: to identify conflict zones that are both vulnerable to the
development of wind power facilities and are requiring of biodiversity protection; to
analyse primary information sources and determine criteria for the identification of
conflict zones; to perform analysis of criteria significance; to create a spatial database
for the identification of conflict zones; to create a model for the identification of
particular conflict zones based on the results of the performed analysis and the conflict
scale therein; to perform verification of the created model based on in situ data; to
prepare recommendations for the management of conflicts between the development of
wind power plants and biodiversity protection.