Gergo Halmos, MME BirdLife Hungary

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Birds and powerlines the problem, expereiences
and future directions for solution in Hungary

• Gergo Halmos, MME BirdLife Hungary

Márton Horváth, András Kovács, Károly Nagy,
Ferenc Papp, Kálmán Szügyi, János Bagyura, Iván
Demeter, Imre Fatér, Gábor Firmánszky, Zoltán
Horváth, Béla Kalocsa, Csaba Lendvai, Péter
Palatitz, Zoltán Petrovics, Mátyás Prommer,
Szabolcs Solt, Eniko Tamás and Miklós Váczi
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Electrocution of birds on medium-voltage pylons

• Worldwide problem
• main cause of raptor
• mortality in most regions
• Precise data were not
• available in Hungary
• Six national surveys by MME
• since 2004
• Results
• 150 participants
• 19 216 surveyed pylons
• 59 species (47 protected)
• 2 183 carcasses
• 400 euro theoretical
• conservation value

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Location of electric power line surveys by MME
BirdLife Hungary
Carcasses found
? 0
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Minimal estimation for the extent of the problem
with extrapolation

• Surveys
• 19 216 pylons
• 2 183 carcasses
• 400 000 euro
• theoretical conservation value

• National annual estimation
• 250 000 similarly dangerous pylons (30)
• 28 400 carcasses
• 5 200 000 euro
• theoretical conservation value

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What happened?

• MME develops a special bird protector cross arm
  cover 1991
• More than 50 000 pylons covered countrywide

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BUT

• Slow process (only lt 10 of all pylons during 18
  years)
• Not effective at all pylon types, and especially
  on recently erected ones
• Mainly conservational financal sources

The general extent of electrocution caused bird
mortality not decreased!
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Changing regulation for new power lines

• The nature conservation law have been recently
  changed (2009) and it forces electric companies,
  that newly developed or rebuilt power lines have
  to be built in a bird friendly design
• Electric companies have paralelly changed
  internal regulations and bird friendly pylon
  types are already under development
• BUT
• The re-building of the complete power
• line network needs several decades

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1 August 14 November 2008Agreement
betweenMinistry of Environment andMME BirdLife
Hungarywithin the framework of the accessible
sky agreement

• 1. Development of conflict maps for locating the
  most critical areas of bird and power line
  interactions
• 2. Development of a possible time-frame for
  bird-friendly modifications

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1. Conflict maps

• Electrocution
• Collision with
• power lines

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Steps

• Determine the group of threatened species
• Develop conservation priority maps for the
  species
• Determine the relative significance of species
• Develop final conflict maps for electrocution and
  collission of birds among power lines

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• ELECTROCUTION
• White stork
• Black stork
• White-tailed eagle
• Common buzzard
• Golden eagle
• Imperial eagle
• Common kestrel
• Red-footed falcon
• Saker falcon
• Peregrine falcon
• Eagle owl
• Roller

• COLLISSION
• Great bustard
• Crane
• Waterbirds
• (geese, ducks, herons)

Based on electrocution surveys, literature and
conservation status of the species
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Steps

• Determine the group of threatened species
• Develop conservation priority maps for the
  species
• Determine the relative significance of species
• Develop final conflict maps for electrocution and
  collission of birds among power lines

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Methods

• Best quality data on breeding and settlement
  areas
• 2,5 x 2,5 km UTM square grids (15 442 pieces)
• Species specific determination of priority areas
  according to the following categories
• 1 not significant habitat
• 2 occasionally used habitat
• 3 frequently used habitat
• 4 important habitat
• (breeding, settlement)
• 5 most important habitats
• (hotspots)

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Breeding priority areas
Settlement priority areas of juveniles
E.g. Imperial Eagle Priority Areas
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Steps

• Determine the group of threatened species
• Develop conservation priority maps for the
  species
• Determine the relative significance of species
• Develop final conflict maps for electrocution and
  collission of birds among power lines

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Electrocution
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Collision
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Steps

• Determine the group of threatened species
• Develop conservation priority maps for the
  species
• Determine the relative significance of species
• Develop final conflict maps for electrocution and
  collission of birds among power lines

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• Value determined for UTM squares
• Species1 priority (1-5)
• x
• Species1 weight (1-5)
• Species2 priority (1-5)
• x
• Species2 weight(1-5)

Electrocution Minimal 37 Maximial
185 Collision Minimal 5 Maximal 150
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Electrocution
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Priority areas for the conservation of species
threatened by electrocution
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Collision
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Priority areas for the conservation of species
threatened by collision
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Medium-voltage power line system of Hungary
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Conflict map 1. Electrocution (outside
settlements)
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Electrocution priority values of medium-voltage
power lines
(outside settlements)
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Conflict map 2. Electrocution (inside
settlements white stork conservation)
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Electrocution priority values of medium-voltage
power lines
(inside settlements white stork conservation)
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Conflict map 1. Collision(outside settlements)
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Collision priority values of medium-voltage power
lines
(outside settlements)
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• Precise methodology and independent calculation
  for bird friendly modifications
• Insulation against electrocution 2 400
  euro/km
• Increased visibility against collision
• 2 400 euro/km
• Underground wire against collision
• 48 000 euro/km

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E.g. electrocution (outside settlements)
2. Development of a possible time-frame for
bird-friendly modifications
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Minimal objectives to be reached within
theAccessible Sky Agreement
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Discussion

• We already know
• Where are the most dangerous conflict areas
• How to modify power lines into bird friendly
  types
• We still dont know
• Who will finance the modifications
• How long will it take to reach significant
  decrease in bird mortality among power lines

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Thank you for your attention!