Wave Energy and Marine Biodiversity. The Portuguese Pilot Zone Case Study Helena Coelho 2012

Transcription

1 Wave Energy and Marine Biodiversity The Portuguese Pilot Zone Case Study Helena Coelho 2012

2 Agenda Wave energy and marine biodiversity Portuguese Pilot Zone case study Aims Methodologies General results Potential effects Guidelines / decision-making recommendations Challenges/Future trends

3 Wave Energy and Marine Biodiversity Wave energy technology matures and widespread Effects/Impacts on biodiversity Habitat enhancement Life aggregation devices /prey availability MPAs Positive Negative Habitat loss Collision Noise Electromagnetic fields Trophic chain

4 Case study Portuguese Pilot Zone Law nº5/ Development of marine energy projects. Efforts to characterize and produce baseline information that can be used in the decision-making process: PPZ (ca. 320km 2 ) Figueira da Foz Marine IBA SPA Ria de Aveiro Baseline surveys - birds and marine mammals Potential impacts from renewable energy technologies developed offshore Compatibility analysis - impacts vs management guidelines for protected species

5 Methodologies: birds and marine mammals surveys Boat-based surveys using a line-transect method. ESAS (European Seabirds at Sea) techniques for seabirds surveys and dedicated marine mammals sighting surveys. Accredited JNCC surveyors - ESAS and MMOs Information recorded included: Species Number Height and direction of flight Behaviour (e.g. feeding, associations) etc.

6 Birds Counting 15 species recorded 4 species: over 96% Species On Sea On flight Total Cory s shearwater/calonectris diomedea 45 (23-88) 58 (37-91) 103 (60-179) Balearic shearwater/puffinus mauretanicus 306 ( ) 125 (85-186) 431 ( ) Gannet/Morus bassana 281 ( ) 98 (72-136) 379 ( ) Yellow-legged gull/larus michahellis 106 (52-218) 136 (90-205) 242 ( )

7 Birds Density plots Puffinus mauretanicus

8 Marine mammals Distribution Delphinus delphis

9 Potential effects and generic threats Development phase Installation Operation Decommissioning Activity Potential impact/effect Type Infrastructure installation Habitat disturbance Negative Increasing vessel activity Physical presence of infrastructures Extraction, generation and transmission of energy Risk of collision, noise, disturbance Collision risk Decrease fisheries / Increase food Recife areas Noise, electromagnetic fields Negative Negative Positive Positive Negative Accidental events Collision, pollution Negative Removal of installation/infrastructures Disruption of ecosystems Negative Absence of infrastructures Noise and pollution decrease Positive

10 Potential effects and generic threats Species occurrence, impacts and connectivity Species Occurrence/ Observations Potential impact Connectivity Calonectris diomedea (Cory s shearwater) Frequently recorded; All flights were below 10 m altitude (well below collision risk height) Disturbance / displacement and barrier effects Ilhas Berlengas SPA/ IBA Puffinus mauretanicus (Balearic shearwater) Non-breeding birds are abundant; All flights were below collision risk height Disturbance/displacement and barrier effects Figueira da Foz Marine IBA (overlaps partially) Delphinus delphis (Common dolphin) Frequently recorded Barrier to movement; Disturbance and potential displacement (elevated construction and noise) -

11 Potential effects Potential effects and generic threats Approach to appropriated assessment / Compatibility analysis Species and conservation objectives Presence of infrastructures Electromagnetic fields Collision Puffinus mauretanicus Morus bassanus Ensure the protection of feeding and breeding habitat; manage migratory routes Tursiops truncatus Increase individuals, manage coastal populations Barrier/Exclusion effect C compatibility, CC conditioned compatibility

12 Potential effects Potential effects and generic threats Approach to appropriated assessment / Compatibility analysis Species and conservation objectives Presence of infrastructures Electromagnetic fields Puffinus mauretanicus Morus bassanus Ensure the protection of feeding and breeding habitat; manage migratory routes Tursiops truncatus Increase individuals, manage coastal populations CC CC CC C C CC Collision C CC CC Barrier/Exclusion effect CC CC CC C compatibility, CC conditioned compatibility

13 Decision making progress recommendations Promote effective baseline knowledge of local descriptors Perform a selective and careful choice of location Pre-installation phase Baseline characterization

14 Decision making progress recommendations Promote effective baseline knowledge of local descriptors Perform a selective and careful choice of location Pre-installation phase Baseline characterization Construction phase Ecological study Work should be planned to avoid specific areas at certain time Site-specific mitigation measures

15 Decision making progress recommendations Promote effective baseline knowledge of local descriptors Perform a selective and careful choice of location Pre-installation phase Baseline characterization Construction phase Ecological study Work should be planned to avoid specific areas at certain time Site-specific mitigation measures Monitoring programs for target species/groups Site-specific mitigation measures Operation phase - Monitoring

16 Guidelines for project developers /stakeholders Biological group Impact Minimum recommended characterization Methodology Season Project Type wave wind Birds Habitat disturbance Distribution and uses patterns Visual surveys, Radar At least during migration periods and winter x x Marine Mammals Barrier effect Species density, distribution and community structure Visual or aerial surveys All year x x Fish Electromagnetic fields Intensity, distribution and effects of electromagnetic fields Measurement, determination of frequency and intensity; species characterization and behavior All year x x

17 Challenges/Future trends Deployment of offshore energy projects Wave but also wind and tide What do we need? What is going on? Portuguese Pilot Zone Finish ecological baseline studies Extended sampling periods Roadmap National guidelines for offshore projects Environmental legislation adapted to the marine reality Continuous monitoring during project lifecycle Explore connectivity with Special Areas of Conservation

18 Coelho H., Rodrigues, S., Ferreira, R., De Silva R., Pendlebury C., Walls R., Mascarenhas M. & Costa H. (2012) First specific biodiversity assessment in the Portuguese Pilot Zone for marine renewables. In Proceedings of the 32 nd Annual Meeting of International Association for Impact Assessment. 27 May - 1 June Porto, Portugal. Thank you! The work was supported by OceanPlug / Energia das Ondas, SA