No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Wind energy could be a threat to Andean Condor
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a global priority. To meet this goal, the Spanish government is planning 89 GW of wind and solar photovoltaic energy in the draft of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) for 2021–2030 (1). Despite the Spanish government's efforts to prevent a speculative bubble in the secondary market, there are already grid access permits for projects representing 121 GW that will be added to the 36 GW of renewables already installed (2), almost doubling the goals of the PNIEC. The new projects will affect hundreds of thousands of hectares, and there is no way to offset the huge quantity of valuable habitats that could be lost. Spain should adopt a more cautious approach to prevent a scenario in which energy goals are met at the expense of biodiversity.
Many renewables projects are planned in low-cost marginal soils of high ecological value, such as extensive cereal farmlands and wild mountain ranges harboring steppe birds and raptors that have in Spain their largest European or world populations. Photovoltaic energy needs huge amounts of land and will mostly affect declining species of steppe birds, which are poorly represented in the Spanish Natura 2000 network (3). Globally threatened large scavengers and other unique and scarce soaring birds are already paying a heavy toll due to the approximately 20,000 existing turbines, with demographic consequences for some threatened populations (4, 5). Bat-killing figures are even higher, with a minimum of 200,000 deaths per year according to estimated mortality rates (6).
Studies forecasting mortality have shown scarce predictive power (7), and when mortality hotspots are detected, conflictive turbines are virtually never stopped to reduce bat and bird casualties as recommended (8). As a large-scale approach, the best way to reduce impacts is by choosing adequate locations (9). However, updated field information necessary to achieve this goal is often not available, and projects are authorized in areas with under-protected species because their status within regional and state listings is frequently outdated. Studies designed to predict and monitor the incidence of renewable infrastructures are funded by energy companies (10), often with little supervision by governments, which precludes independence. The problem is exacerbated by the fragmentation of large projects (yielding reports of the smaller impacts associated with each part rather than a comprehensive assessment of the full project), the absence of an in-depth assessment of cumulative and synergistic environmental impacts, and decentralized administrative authority divided among the central state, regions, and municipalities.
We welcome renewables, but we urge Spanish authorities to correct these deficiencies and implement rigorous comprehensive planning based on the most updated ecological knowledge. We also call for a stronger commitment to more distributed and energy-saving policies that would reduce direct environmental impacts on biodiversity, such as energy efficiency, self-consumption, and improved energy performance in buildings.
***SPANISH VERSION AVAILABLE***
The Range-Wide Priority Setting Exercise aimed to assess the distribution and conservation status of the Andean condor, and consolidate all available information on the species, currently dispersed and scattered from all different sources, to be translated into a conservation strategy, including the participative definition of Andean Condor Conservation Units (ACCUs). The exercise anticipated that these ACCUs consider threats, distribution, and relative abundance, potentially important factors for selecting specific c sites for long-term conservation investment, as well as studies and population monitoring on behavior, reproduction, and distribution. The exercise also hoped to produce an action plan and distribution map for dissemination across the bird’s range, as well as crucial conversation among the important actors in the conservation of the Andean condor.
Causes of admission to rehabilitation centers can provide valuable information about factors that cause mortality in the wild. We studied causes of admission to a rehabilitation center for 108 Andean Condors (Vultur gryphus) in Chile. Seventy-nine, 28, and one condor came from central, south, and northern Chile, respectively. From central Chile, an area with high human population, the majority of condors received were adults. The most frequent causes of admission to the rehabilitation center were poisoning (52%) and collisions with power lines (13%). Seventy-two percent of the radiographed birds showed ammunition in their bodies. Almost all the condors (85%) were received during the wintering period, when condors use the lowlands, thus increasing the probability of interaction with humans. The condors admitted from southern Chile, an area with low human pressure, were mainly juveniles. The most frequently admitted birds in the south were young birds that were trapped just after fledging (68%), which made up only 4% of the cases in central Chile. There were no poisonings or collisions with power lines. Only 25% of the radiographed birds were positive for ammunition. No seasonal variation in admissions was observed, indicating that risk factors in the southern zone did not operate on a seasonal basis. The sample of birds admitted from central Chile had similar sex and age structure as the wild population, with some bias toward juveniles, in contrast with the sample from southern Chile, in which young birds dominated. In conclusion, we observed an important anthropogenic effect on causal and temporal patterns of admissions to a rehabilitation center for Andean Condors; for the segment of the population in central Chile, the mortality pressure is apparently higher than expected under natural conditions, which could promote a demographic sink in this region.
The visual fields of vultures contain a small binocular region and large blind areas above, below and behind the head. Head positions typically adopted by foraging vultures suggest that these visual fields provide comprehensive visual coverage of the ground below, prohibit the eyes from imaging the sun and provide extensive visual coverage laterally. However, vultures will often be blind in the direction of travel. We conclude that by erecting structures such as wind turbines, which extend into open airspace, humans have provided a perceptual challenge that the vision of foraging vultures cannot overcome. © 2012 The Authors Ibis.
The breeding behavior of Andean Condors (Vultur gryphus) is known primarily from observations of captive pairs. This species is the only sexually dimorphic one in its family (Cathartidae), permitting comparison of the parental care provided by each sex. We examined the breeding behavior of a pair of condors over a period of 28 mo at a nest in Patagonia, Argentina. We first observed the pair near the nest site in January 2005. Courtship displays began in April and continued until October, when incubation started. The nestling hatched in early December 2005 and fledged in June 2006. The young condor first left the nest area 10 mo after hatching and was observed at the nest site for the last time 15 mo after hatching. Both adults incubated the egg and provisioned the nestling after hatching, and at least one adult was always present at the nest site for 2 mo post hatching. During the nesting period, the male visited the nest site more often, stayed for longer periods, interacted with the chick, and brought food more frequently than the female. Additional studies of the breeding biology of wild Andean Condors are needed to improve our understanding of their population ecology and demographics and to enhance conservation efforts.
Mobile species face an array of human threats across political boundaries, and their protection relies on identifying and prioritizing areas for conservation. Large avian scavengers are one of the widest ranging and most threatened species globally, and efforts to preserve them have come to the forefront of wildlife management. Vultures require access to functionally distinct habitats for roosting, foraging and flying, yet behavior-specific habitat modelling has been overlooked in management planning. Herein, we developed a spatial prioritization model for the threatened Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) that integrates activity-specific habitat selection across heterogeneous landscapes. We tracked 35 individuals in two regions of Argentina and Chile differing in topography and vegetation composition, and analyzed how landscape covariates influence where condors roost, forage and fly, while accounting for individual differences. We found that individuals responded differently to environmental covariates during each behavior, and identified regional differences for some covariates dependent on behavioral state. We also found important individual differences in habitat selection between birds inhabiting each region. We combined these results into an ensemble spatial prioritization model, and found that most areas of high priority for Andean condor conservation are not under protection. The strategic implementation of conservation measures in these priority areas could have important implications for the recovery of this species. Our study illustrates the value of integrating behavioral- and individual-specific habitat analyses into spatial conservation planning, and points to opportunities for effective management of threatened vultures.
Highlights
• Pesticide poisoning is currently the greatest threat to the Andean condor.
• Poisonings affect adult condors more than immature ones.
• The most commonly used poison is Carbofuran, and to a lesser extent Palation.
• Condor poisonings have reached alarming levels that could lead to extinction.
Andean condor conservation program in Argentina
- NL Jacome
- V Astore
- PS Soorae
Patrón de movimiento de dos cóndores andinos Vultur gryphus (Aves: Cathartidae) en los andes centrales de Chile y Argentina
- E F Pavez
- EF Pavez
Libro rojo de aves de Colombia Volumen II : Ecosistemas abiertos, secos, insulares, acuáticos continentales, marinos, tierras altas del Darién y Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta y bosques húmedos del centro
- S A Caro
- D Arenas
- S Zuluaga
- F Sáenz-Jiménez
Good Practice Guidelines for the Wind Energy Sector in Argentina: Management of Impacts on Birds and Bats
- Ifc-Idb
Andean condor conservation program in Argentina. In: Soorae PS (ed) Global Re-introduction Perspectives: 2016. Case-studies from around the globe
- N L Jacome
- V Astore
- NL Jacome
Cóndor andino, Vultur gryphus
- C J Sharpe
- F Rojas-Suárez
- D Ascanio
- CJ Sharpe