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.