Abstract
As offshore wind parks develop, the discussion about their positive & negative impacts on the ecosystem grows.
The energy transition and sustainable blue economy requires significant contributions from offshore renewable energy, for example from offshore wind farms. At the same time, biodiversity crises are present across not only the EU waters but on a global scale. Environmental monitoring can help us understand how we can achieve an energy transition that has minimal negative and even positive effects for marine ecosystems.
The evidence on the impact of offshore wind farms remains partly ambiguous, for instance, on the interpretation of the new habitats that build around the infrastructure - whether it’s positive that fish find refuge in offshore wind farms or if this acts as a stepping stone for the distribution of invasive alien species. Open questions also remain on the effect of the offshore wind farms versus natural variability, on long-term effects as well as cumulative effects.