Coastal onshore wind turbines lead to habitat loss for bats in Northern Germany

Wind energy production is particularly rewarding along coastlines, yet coastlines are often important as migratory corridors for wildlife. This creates a conflict between energy production from renewable sources and conservation goals, which needs to be considered during environmental planning. To shed light on the spatial interactions of a high collision risk bat species with coastal wind turbines (WT), we analysed 32 tracks of 11 common noctule bats (Nyctalus noctula) in Northern Germany with miniaturized global positioning system units yielding 6266 locations. We used three spatial models to infer on the preferred and avoided landscape features in interaction with WT. We found 3.4% of all locations close to WT, with bats preferring areas with high levels of impervious surface, identified as farmhouses. Common noctule bats were also more present close to WT adjacent to paths and waterbodies. At the local scale, >70% of common noctule bats avoided WT, yet if bats approached WT we counted more positions at large WT, specifically close to known roosts. Our study highlights that coastal WT should not be placed next to feeding grounds and bat roosts. Additionally, avoidance of WT by bats indicates that foraging bats may suffer from habitat loss in coastal landscapes with high turbine densities. To mitigate the conflict between wind energy power production and conservation goals at coastal sites, wind turbines should be placed at distance to habitat features preferred by bats and turbine densities should be limited.

Automated summary

The production of wind energy along coastlines may conflict with the conservation of wildlife habitats. This study investigated the spatial interactions between common noctule bats and coastal wind turbines in Northern Germany. The results showed that bats preferred areas with high levels of impervious surface, such as farmhouses, and were more present near wind turbines adjacent to paths and waterbodies. However, the majority of bats avoided wind turbines, indicating a potential loss of foraging habitat.