Forest gaps around wind turbines attract bat species with high collision risk

Globally, renewable energy is highly demanded, leading to a recent increase in the number of wind turbines at forested sites. For the deployment of turbines, forest areas must be cleared, which results in significant habitat changes. To assess the ecological consequences of these changes for forest-associated bats, we quantified the activity of three bat foraging guilds at turbine clearings, adjacent forest edges, and nearby forest canopies. Specifically, open-space and edge-space foraging bats were more active at turbine clearings and forest edges than at forest canopies. Narrow-space foragers were also more often recorded at turbine clearings than at forest canopies. An increased activity of open- and edge-space foragers at turbine clearings may increase the risk for casualties. Therefore, if turbines need to be placed in forests, strict curtailment schemes should be practiced to mitigate collision risk for these bats. This may impair the efficacy of wind energy production at forested sites.

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