London, September 7 (ANI): The results of a new study indicate that winds turbines might be hastening the local extinction of an endangered vulture in southern Spain.
Studies have so far focused on the short-term effects of wind turbines, looking at the number of bird collisions per turbine per year.
According to a report in New Scientist, Martina Carrete of the Donana Biological Station in Seville and colleagues took a new approach.
They recorded the number of Egyptian vulture carcasses with collision injuries found around 675 wind turbines in southern Spain between 2004 to 2008.
They then plugged this information and data on wind turbine locations and vulture nesting sites across Spain into a computer model to predict what will happen to the entire population of Spanish birds over the next 100 years.
The results suggest that if the number of wind turbines stays the same as it is today, the population will go extinct 10 years sooner than if there were no wind farms.
If the number of turbines stays the same as it is today, the vultures' demise will happen much earlier. (ANI)
Studies have so far focused on the short-term effects of wind turbines, looking at the number of bird collisions per turbine per year.
According to a report in New Scientist, Martina Carrete of the Donana Biological Station in Seville and colleagues took a new approach.
They recorded the number of Egyptian vulture carcasses with collision injuries found around 675 wind turbines in southern Spain between 2004 to 2008.
They then plugged this information and data on wind turbine locations and vulture nesting sites across Spain into a computer model to predict what will happen to the entire population of Spanish birds over the next 100 years.
The results suggest that if the number of wind turbines stays the same as it is today, the population will go extinct 10 years sooner than if there were no wind farms.
If the number of turbines stays the same as it is today, the vultures' demise will happen much earlier. (ANI)
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