Appearing in The Guardian Environment Network online today, a “Dutch study finds birds avoid offshore wind turbines, while marine life finds shelter and new habitats.”
After my post earlier this week asking Is UK newspaper coverage skewed against renewables, it’s great to see such a positive story on green energy.
Speaking from the Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies at Wageningen University and Research centre, Professor Han Lindeboom explains that this new study reveals little evidence that wind farms have a negative impact on local wildlife.
“At most, a few bird species will avoid such a wind farm. It turns out that a wind farm also provides a new natural habitat for organisms living on the sea bed such as mussels, anemones and crabs, thereby contributing to increased biodiversity,” he said.
“For fish and marine mammals, it provides an oasis of calm in a relatively busy coastal area.”
An offshore wind farm off the coast of Liverpool - such farms could have a positive impact on marine life. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images, via The Guardian website
