TY - RPRT
TI - Guidance for Pre- and Post-Construction Monitoring to Detect Changes in Marine Bird Distributions and Habitat Use Related to Offshore Wind Development
AU - Avian Displacement Guidance Committee
AB - As the offshore wind (OSW) industry develops in the U.S. Atlantic, effective monitoring is needed to detect potential effects to wildlife. A Specialist Committee was convened by New York’s Offshore Wind Environmental Technical Working Group (E-TWG) and chaired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with the goal of advancing recommendations for the effective detection and characterization of changes in the distributions and habitat use of marine birds in relation to OSW energy development.The committee’s recommendations are specifically focused on:Marine birds and OSW development in the U.S. Atlantic, though many of the recommendations are broadly relevant to other geographies.Studies of changes in marine bird movement behavior, distributions, and habitat use, namely displacement, attraction, and macro-to meso-scale avoidance.Studies intended to detect effects from OSW development, not assess risk or characterize avian resources prior to construction.Informing project-specific monitoring, although many recommendations are also applicable to studies at larger scales.While there are various potential effects from OSW development on marine birds, and all deserve dedicated research recommendations, understanding displacement-related effects is a key research priority. The deliberative process used to develop these recommendations brought together experts to reach consensus on the best available science to conduct studies of marine birds at OSW facilities. This Specialist Committee firmly recommends that:Statistically robust monitoring should be conducted at all OSW lease areas to detect and characterize changes in distributions and habitat use of marine birds, andThis guidance form the basis for federal guidelines focused on how to conduct pre-and post-construction monitoring at individual OSW facilities in the U.S. Atlantic.The guidance includes:General study design recommendations for all types of displacement, avoidance, and attraction studies;Recommendations for conducting observational surveys, a key method for displacement studies; andRecommendations for future guidance and research. Guidance Document Summary Guidance DocumentContentsPart I. Summary     S.1 General Recommendations     S.2 Detailed Recommendations for Observational Surveys     S.3 Future DirectionsPart II. Introduction     1.0 Background and Purpose          1.1 Terminology     2.0 Rationale     3.0 Focus of GuidancePart III. General Study Design Recommendations     4.0 Key Research Questions          4.1 Key Research Questions to Examine Displacement, Attraction, and Avoidance          4.2 Using Site-Specific Data to Inform Regional-Scale Questions     5.0 Identifying Focal Taxa          5.1 Understanding Exposure          5.2 Understanding Sensitivity and Uncertainty          5.3. Additional Considerations for Selection of Focal Taxa     6.0 Choosing Appropriate Methodologies          6.1 Selecting Study Methods          6.2 Considerations for Specific Methods          6.3 Summary: Choosing Appropriate Methods     7.0 Developing an Effective Study Design          7.1 Study Objectives          7.2 Study Design          7.3 Data Sharing and Coordination     8.0 Data Consistency and Transparency RecommendationsPart IV. Recommendations for Boat-based and Aerial Surveys     9.0 Connection Between Site Assessment Surveys and Pre-Construction Surveys to Detect Effects     10.0 Survey Design and Methodology Recommendations          10.1 Define Clear Study Goals          10.2 Use of Gradient Study Design          10.3 Assessment of Spatial and Temporal Coverage          10.4 Data Collection Methods          10.5 Review of Data          10.6 Data Analysis          10.7 Data ReportingPart V. Recommendations for Future Guidance and Research     11.0 Next Steps for Guidance     12.0 Additional Guidance, Frameworks, and Research NeedsPart VI. Literature CitedPart VII. Appendices     Appendix A. Guidance Development Methods     Appendix B. Glossary of Key Terminology     Appendix C. Literature Review: Macro- to Meso-Scale Changes in Marine Bird Distributions and Habitat Use     Appendix D. Assessment Rubric for Study Plans  
DA - 2024/08//
PY - 2024
SP - 101
PB - New York State Environmental Technical Working Group (NYETWG)
UR - https://www.nyetwg.com/avian-displacement-guidance
LA - English
KW - Wind Energy
KW - Fixed Offshore Wind
KW - Floating Offshore Wind
KW - Avoidance
KW - Displacement
KW - Birds
ER -