Abstract
The offshore wind (OW) sector is set to expand significantly to meet ambitious Government targets under Clean Power by 2030 and achieving net zero. It is recognised that the scale and location of future developments will mean that the derogation process1 is increasingly likely to be triggered, hence there is a need for industry-scale consideration of how future-proof compensation will be delivered.
The OWIC-led Strategic Compensation Studies (SCS) project, funded by the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change (OWEC) programme, within which this piece of work is being delivered, aims to investigate the effectiveness of certain potential strategic compensation measures through desk-based studies and practical pilots to increase confidence in measures, and provide compensation options for OW plans and projects.
This report forms part of the SCS predator reduction work package and aims to identify the scale of opportunity for reducing pressures from avian predators as a strategic compensation measure either in isolation or as part of a package of measures in the UK. Previous work indicates there is currently limited support for avian predator control to be used as a strategic compensation measure, except as an additional or adaptive management tool or to accompany an approved primary measure. However, in light of the limited number of approved strategic measures and the increasing need for projects and plans to secure ecologically sound, cost-effective compensation, the SCS project aims to ensure that all relevant aspects are fully considered prior to the measure being disregarded as a strategic option.
The report focuses on seabirds which are of current OW compensation concern, including black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla, Northern gannet Morus bassanus, common guillemot Uria aalge, razorbill Alca torda, lesser black-backed gull Larus fuscus, red-throated diver Gavia stellata, Atlantic puffin Fratercula arctica and Sandwich tern Thalasseus sandvicensis. Consideration has also been given to species which may require compensation in the future such as Procellariiforms (shearwater and petrel species). This review of the literature has shown that the current volume of evidence for avian predation is limited and varies between both avian predator species and species that are of OW compensation concern. The impact from avian predation on species of OW compensation concern also varies, with some species experiencing limited negative impacts whereas others suffering reduced breeding performance, nest failure and in some cases colony failure as a result.
The report concludes that there is merit in progressing additional assessment of several of the different avian predator management methods given the current limited evidence of their effectiveness for seabirds. The recommendations are centred around practical trials of non-lethal interventions such as habitat modification/nest cover and refuges, artificial burrows and nest boxes and deterrence measures such as bamboo canes and bioacoustics. This would enable the methodologies to be further developed, monitored for effectiveness and considered as strategic compensation measures for species impacted by OW.
This could encompass the following:
- Reducing pressures from avian predators as a standalone measure that incorporates a number of control methods that are deemed most effective for a particular avian predator and/or species of OW compensation concern.
- Reducing pressures from avian predators could be implemented alongside other strategic measures, such as mammalian predator control or disturbance reduction. The delivery of two (or more) approved measures together would likely lead to increased effectiveness of the compensation and reduce levels of uncertainty. The identified measures could then be implemented via a strategic scheme at scale.