PROGRESS
In June 2016 the project PROGRESS was completed successfully. The final report or a summary can be dowloaded here. The PROGRESS team thanks all its contributors and those who have supported or accompanied it throughout the years.
What is PROGRESS?
The project PROGRESS is a joint venture between BioConsult SH, ARSU, IfAÖ and the University of Bielefeld. The aim is to determine collision rates of birds (of prey) with wind turbines and to establish background data for spatial planning including the prognosis and assessment of the collision risk with onshore wind turbines.
Collisions of birds (and bats) are a central field of conflict between the development of further wind energy use and nature conservation. Collision rates present an important aspect in the permission process, as several bird species and all bird of prey species are strictly protected by EU legislation.
Therefore, it has been the aim of this study to collect a representative dataset on collision rates of birds with onshore wind farms by conducting a systematic field study in several federal states of Northern Germany over the course of three years. To gather the data, line-transect searches for collision victims were conducted.
The actual collision rates were extrapolated from the field data using empirically determined correction factors (search efficiency, carcasss removal). Furthermore, bird behavior observations in existing windfarms were also taken into account to evaluate the collision risk. On top of this, the influence of the additional mortality was to be modelled, in order to address the question of how relevant it is on the population level.
For further information please refer to the following documents:
Final report (in German):
Grünkorn, T., Blew, J., Coppack, T., Krüger, O., Nehls, G., Potiek, A., Reichenbach, M., von Rönn, J., Timmermann, H. & Weitekamp, S.
Ermittlung der Kollisionsraten von (Greif-)Vögeln und Schaffung planungsbezogener Grundlagen für die Prognose und Bewertung des Kollisionsrisikos durch Windenergieanlagen (PROGRESS)
Created by BioConsult SH, ARSU, IfAÖ & Universität BielefeldDownload document
Summary and conclusions (in English):
Grünkorn, T., Blew, J., Coppack, T., Krüger, O., Nehls, G., Potiek, A., Reichenbach, M., von Rönn, J., Timmermann, H. & Weitekamp, S.
Prognosis and assessment of bird collision risks at wind turbines in northern Germany (PROGRESS) (Summary and conclusions)Download document
Résumé et Synthèse (en francais):
Grünkorn, T., Blew, J., Coppack, T., Krüger, O., Nehls, G., Potiek, A., Reichenbach, M., von Rönn, J., Timmermann, H. & Weitekamp, S.
Détermination des taux de collision des oiseaux (y compris rapaces) et principes fondamentaux pour prévoir et évaluer le risque de collision dans la conception des projets éoliens (projet de recherche PROGRESS; Résumé et Synthèse).Download document
Project description PROGRESS (in German):
BioConsult SH, ARSU, IfAÖ & Universität Bielefeld
Project description PROGRESSDownload document
The method was already described in 2009 in „Natur und Landschaft“:
Grünkorn, T., Diederichs, A., Poszig, D., Diederichs, B. & Nehls, G.
Wie viele Vögel kollidieren mit Windenergieanlagen?
Natur und Landschaft 84 (7) p. 309-14
Conference-Poster:
Grünkorn, T., von Rönn J., Reichenbach, M., Weitekamp, S., Timmermann, H.,Coppack, T., Kilian M. & Schleicher K.
Prediction and Assessment of collision risks at wind turbines in Germany
Conference on Wind Energy and Environmental Impacts, Stockholm, Sweden (2013)Download document
CWW 2015 Berlin:
Weitekamp, S., Timmermann, H. & Reichenbach, M.
CWW_2015_Weitekamp - Predictive modelling versus empirical data – collision numbers in relation to flight activity in 55 German wind farm seasonsDownload document
Grünkorn, T.
CWW_2015_Grünkorn - A large-scale, multispecies assessment of avian mortality rates at onshore wind turbines in northern Germany (PROGRESS)Download document
Potiek, A.
CWW_2015_Potiek - Mortality from collisions with wind turbines - Long-term population effects on three raptor speciesDownload document
Report from the discussion meeting held on the 17th of November 2016 (organized by the "Fachagentur Windenergie an Land e. V."):
Fachagentur Windenergie an Land e.V. (Hrsg.)
Windenergie und Artenschutz: Ergebnisse aus dem Forschungsvorhaben PROGRESS und praxisrelevante KonsequenzenDownload documentExternal Link
The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi).
Project duration: 01/11/2011 – 30/06/2015
Funding ID 0325300 A-D
Contact: