Power lines and birds: An overlooked threat in South America
by Natalia Rebolo-Ifrán, Pablo Plaza, Juan Manuel Pérez-García, Víctor Gamarra-Toledo, Francisco Santander, Sergio A. Lambertucci,
published in Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation
Highlights
- Power lines are a major cause of bird mortality due to electrocutions and collisions.
- This threat has been poorly studied in South America.
- Scientific and grey literature suggest this threat is present in this subcontinent.
- A total of 85 bird species from 34 families affected by power lines were identified.
- More studies assessing bird mortality due to this threat in South America are needed.
Abstract
Power lines endanger birds around the world, as a large number of them are killed every year through electrocutions and collisions. This problem can have severe consequences at population level, particularly for threatened species. While this threat has been widely studied in different parts of the world, information from South America is scarce. Here, we review information from scientific and grey literature on the collision and electrocution of birds on power lines from this sub-continent. We complement this information with novel data provided by a citizen science project, electrical companies and field monitoring records. Our results show that although in South America scientific and anecdotal information on this topic is scarce, data suggests that this threat is present in many areas of this sub-continent and affects several species, some of which are seriously threatened. However, information on the most affected species, the number of individuals impacted, the most dangerous geographical areas and the effectiveness of mitigation action is scarce and mainly anecdotal. This is worrying, because South America is a hot spot of biodiversity with many threatened and endemic bird species. We urge conservationists to evaluate this problem in more detail, define areas where it is important to avoid power line installation and establish priority areas for implementation of effective mitigation actions. Scientific evidence shows that dangerous power lines require retrofitting, but this knowledge should also be applied to the new energy facilities and the establishment of national regulations, which would undoubtedly reduce the impact of this infrastructure on wildlife.
Conclusions
The distinct impact of global-change drivers on airspace must be assessed; this habitat and the species that use it need effective conservation strategies and focused protection (Lambertucci and Speziale, 2020). Power lines, together with other human infrastructure, are intruding into the airspace, fragmenting it and limiting the possibilities of aerial wildlife to move worldwide with unexpected consequences (Zuluaga et al., 2022).
More scientists and managers should be involved in evaluating and solving this threat and guiding research groups to perform the entire conservation process (describing the threat and proposing-performing mitigation actions with different stakeholders) along the South American continent. Moreover, governments should designate economic resources to fund the projects destined to evaluate this relevant threat. Until we generate the proper information to evaluate this problem, it is necessary to apply the precautionary principle in order to mitigate the potential impact on wildlife, particularly threatened species.
Read the article in full at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2530064422000736?via%3Dihub
