Dynamic aeroconservation for a nature-inclusive energy transition

Each year, billions of birds traverse across continents, encountering an increasingly dense network of wind turbines, power lines, and other energy infrastructure. These structures can directly cause mortality through collisions and electrocutions, and indirectly act as barriers to movement. Yet these risks arise in a highly dynamic environment that traditional, habitat-based conservation approaches struggle to address. Effective impact mitigation therefore requires approaches that recognize the airspace as a dynamic habitat and account for the constantly shifting movements of migratory species.

A key challenge lies in identifying when and where migrants are most at risk. Networks of radars have become the cornerstone of a scalable solution, providing continuous, multi-scale measurements of bird movements. Building on these networks, we present a scalable method to map nocturnal bird migration patterns at large spatial scales, with which wind energy stakeholders can anticipate high-risk migration times and zones and integrate them early in the siting and permitting process. In doing so, they can adhere to the mitigation hierarchy by proactively avoiding negative impacts on wildlife and enjoy a stream-lined and thus, faster, environmental assessment process.

When avoiding negative impacts through spatial planning is not possible, temporary shutdowns remain an effective mitigation measure, capable of protecting a large proportion of migrants with relatively small, well-timed actions. However, implementing curtailment for large-scale nocturnal bird migration requires coordination and preparation at the level of energy grids. We present how the Netherlands uses bird migration forecasts trained on radar data that trigger an operational decision process roughly 48 hours in advance. With this decision window, grid and wind farm operators can prepare for temporary shutdowns on nights of peak bird migration and thus, safeguard passage for millions of nocturnal migrants.

Although focused primarily on broad-front bird migration, these approaches are likely to benefit all migrants moving in these periods, including bats, highlighting the potential for cross-taxonomic synergies. Our approach demonstrates that dynamic aeroconservation can resolve conflicts between renewable-energy expansion and the protection of aerial biodiversity, a critical step toward a nature-inclusive energy transition.