Bird Mortality Rates at Thar Desert Wind Farms

• A study by the Wildlife Institute of India found the highest bird mortality rates at wind farms in India’s Thar Desert.

• The study was conducted in a 3,000 sq. km desert landscape in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, home to around 900 wind turbines and 272 bird species.

• The estimated annual bird mortality per 1,000 sq. km came up to 4,464 birds after correcting for non-detection due to vegetation cover or carcass degradation during the survey and due to carcass scavenging before the survey.

• The mortality rate “will vary depending on geography, season, and other factors.”

• The Thar Desert is part of the Central Asian Flyway, a major migration route for birds across Eurasia, and a prominent wintering destination.

• Bird collisions with power lines linked to the wind turbines were also included in the mortality estimates.

• Raptors were the most affected group of birds, echoing findings worldwide.

• Birdlife International has proposed several mitigation measures to reduce bird collisions with wind turbines, including painting one of the turbine blades to increase visibility and shutting turbines down at a certain time of day or season.

• Offshore wind farms are emerging as a valuable renewable energy resource worldwide, with operational offshore wind capacity worldwide around 83 GW.

• Despite the growing interest, there has been limited research on the environmental consequences of offshore wind farms.

• The National Offshore Wind Energy Policy emphasizes the importance of environmental impact assessments for offshore wind energy.