Reducing bird mortality caused by high- and very-high-voltage power lines in Belgium 2013

Reducing bird mortality caused by high- and very-high-voltage power lines in Belgium
Final Report – 31 October 2012

High- and very-high-voltage power lines have been identified as a major human-induced source of mortality for birds. When birds fly in large groups, or in poor visibility conditions, they can collide with these structures, in some instances in sufficiently large numbers to raise concern. Several international agreements on nature conservation acknowledge this important issue. In answer to this concern, Elia, as the power transmission system operator in Belgium, intends to identify its own overhead power lines that present a serious collision risk for birds. The main objective of this project is to map collision-prone power lines in Belgium and to classify existing power lines according to their “dangerousness” in this regard. This report’s priority classification of power lines should ultimately be seen as an answer to the following question: “Given present-day knowledge of bird distribution and relative sensitivity to collision mortality, what are the most dangerous power-line sections, i.e. those where the mitigation of collision risk should be focused as a priority?”