Avifauna

SafeLines4Birds is a 6-year project co-funded by the EU LIFE Programme that aims to reduce the unnatural mortality of 13 bird species along power lines in France, Belgium and Portugal.

The main threats to certain bird species include collisions with power lines, electrocution, and disturbance during the breeding season. These threats cause the deaths of millions of birds in Europe every year and, in some cases, seriously threaten the viability of the species' populations.

To combat collision, the project aims to install 3880 anti-collision devices in the most dangerous locations. However, these devices are not suitable in all situations and their success rate varies depending on the species or geographical factors. Therefore, new anti-collision devices will be tested, such as the American ACAS system, which uses ultraviolet light on power lines to make them more visible to birds at night. In addition, innovative methods of installing anti-collision devices, such as the use of drones, will be tested under the project. In some cases, lines will be buried to completely eliminate the risk of collision and electrocution in particularly high-risk areas.

To avoid disturbance, network maintenance and surveillance methodologies will be adapted – where possible according to the breeding periods of the target species – to improve their reproductive success. As far as possible, overflying of breeding sites will be avoided and the use of helicopters will be limited.

All collected results will be shared in an open and standardized way, benefiting the understanding of bird-grid interactions and the effectiveness of the mitigation measures tested. An open digital platform SafeLines4Birds will be created to centralize all technical information collected during the project. This will facilitate the dissemination of knowledge about technical innovations and equipment across Europe and will subsequently support the replication of actions in other countries.

The success of these actions depends on the collaboration of 15 consortium partners, which include Transmission System Operators, Distribution System Operators, NGOs and scientific experts from France, Belgium, Portugal, Germany and the United States.

Goals

The SafeLines4Birds project is based on four main goals:

• Reduce bird collisions with power lines;
• Reduce electrocution of birds by contact with power lines;
• Reduce disturbance to birds;
• Improve and share knowledge across Europe.

E-REDES scope
 

E-REDES has participated in several projects of the LIFEProgramme , which have boosted the activity of bird protection, both in terms of the correction of overhead high voltage / low voltage lines and for the application of innovative devices.

Under the SL4B project, among the main responsibilities assigned to E-REDES are:

• Selection of priority overhead power lines for conservation interventions;
• Participation in training sessions for the use of the developed tools;
• Application of technical solutions aimed at reducing collision and electrocution of avifauna;
• Assessment of environmental and social benefits arising from the protection measures to be demonstrated;
• Collaboration in communication and dissemination actions and involvement of experts in the field to collect and analyse relevant information for conservation of species.

 
Project ID
 

Led by: Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux

Start Date: January 2023

Finish Date: December 2028

Budget: €14,141,546.11

Funded under: LIFE-2021-SAP-NAT Nature & Biodiversity

Grant Agreement ID: 101073826