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PARIS – Wind farms now act as the main predators of some ecosystems, harming birds at the top of the food chain and causing a training effect often overlooked by conservationists. green energy, scientists said Monday. 19659002] Wind energy is the fastest growing renewable energy sector, providing about 4% of global electricity demand.
Nearly 17 million hectares – an area the size of Tunisia – are currently used to produce wind energy around the world, warned researchers that developers had "greatly under" -stimated "the impact of technology on wildlife.
In a new research, an international team of scientists studied the effects of using wind turbines in the Western Ghats, a mountain range and forest listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. west coast and a global "hotspot" of biodiversity.
They found that predatory raptor birds were four times rarer in plateau areas where wind turbines were present. t cascaded into the food chain and radically altered the density and behavior of bird prey
. In particular, the team observed an explosion in the raptors' favorite meal – the throat lizard – in the areas dominated by turbines. 19659002] In addition, they observed significant changes in the behavior and appearance of lizards, living as in an environment essentially free of predators.
"What was remarkable for us is the subtle changes in the behavior, morphology and physiology of these lizards. "Said Maria Thaker, badistant professor at the Center for Ecological Sciences of the Indian Institute of Science and senior author of the study.
As the number of raptors dwindled around the turbines, the rate of predator attacks that lizards experienced
As a result, the team discovered that lizards living in and around wind farms had diminished their alertness to potential hazards.
Simulate "predator attacks", the human being participating in the study. I would be five times closer to a lizard in the wind farm areas than one who lived away from the turbines before the creatures escaped.
After tests, it was found that the lizards near the turbines had lower levels of stress hormone – something like that. this must have occurred during the two decades following the construction of wind farms in the Western Ghats
Wind farms are known to be harmful to birds, disrupting their migration patterns and causing mortality rates higher than average.
Thaker stated that his research, published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, showed that wind farms reproduce the role of the main predator in the food chain by keeping raptors at bay.
"They cause changes in the equilibrium of animals in an ecosystem
" These are the "predators" of raptors – not in the sense of killing them, but by reducing the presence of raptors in these areas . "
As human-made carbon emissions continue to rise, Tha Ker said that wind energy was vital to mitigating the effects of climate change.
But with evidence that the impact of wind farms extends further into Earth's ecosystems than expected, she called for greater consideration of the environmental impact of the source of vital green energy
"It took scientists decades to realize that wind turbines hurt flying animals," said Thaker.
"We need to be smart about how we deploy green energy solutions. Reduce our footprint on the planet and install turbines in already disturbed places, for example on buildings. "
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