Special Sessions

Seven special sessions will be organized during the main conference program from Tuesday 9^th till Thursday 11^th.

All special sessions will be held in the 2 auditoriums of the conference venue (Corum Montpellier).

Planned special session cover several key topics of Wind & Biodiversity issues for both onshore and offshore wind.

 

More details on each special sessions will be added later on, once precise content is fully settled.

Please note that some information provided are still preliminary and could evolve in the next weeks (especially : panelists, time slot). 

 

We’d like to thank all special sessions organizers and moderators for their commitment and support.

 

Special session 1 - Offshore Wind Collision Detection Systems - State of Science

Duration : 1h15. Tuesday 9^th September (14:00 -15:15)

Moderators : Aonghais Cook (The Biodiversity Consultancy) and Jos de Visser (Rijkswaterstaat)

Uncertainty surrounding collision risk presents a substantial challenge to the assessment of current and future offshore wind farms. Whilst models are routinely used to assess collision risk prior to offshore wind farm construction, these models lack validation and may therefore lead to unrealistic predictions of risk. Collecting data on collision rates would help validate these models and support an understanding of the circumstances in which collisions occur, helping to reduce uncertainty associated with estimates of collision risk and facilitating the development of effective mitigation strategies. In contrast to the situation onshore, collection of such data has been a long-standing challenge for offshore wind farms. However, a number of promising new technologies and approaches have been developed to collect these data. Through this session, we aim to:

• Showcase studies across a range of technologies taking on this challenge and some of the data collected to date;
• Discuss general considerations for collecting evidence relating to collisions and how to optimize its use in advancing and validating current Collision Risk Models; and 
• Acknowledge the common challenges collecting these data and discuss the key priorities for overcoming these challenges.

We will deliver these aims through a combination of short presentations, panel and audience discussion. We set out an outline for this session, along with identified and confirmed participants below:

• Session chair: Jos de Visser, Rijkswaterstaat - 2 minutes intro
• Presentation on considerations and needs around collecting evidence suitable to improve CRM’s, Aonghais Cook - 10 minutes

Presentations on current case-studies :

• Firth of Forth Seabird Interactions Study (radar and cameras) - Miguel Repas Goncalves, Strix
• Advantages with stereovision for collision detection (daylight cameras) - Glen Sykes, Spoor
• Measuring bird and bat collisions at an offshore wind turbine (thermal cameras) - Karen Krijgsveld, Wageningen Environmental Research WUR
• Q&A - 10 minutes
• Presentation on developer perspective, hosting collision studies and developing the evidence we need, Jesper Kyed Larsen, Vattenfall
• Interactive debate and Q&A focusing on the priorities in terms of data needs and ways of overcoming challenges to deliver on them – 30 minutes

Panel participants across main applied stakeholders: 

• Science: Aonghais Cook, The Biodiversity Consultancy
• NGO: Aly McCluskie, RSPB
• Developer: Jesper Kyed Larsen, Vattenfall
• Regulator : speaker to be announced

 

Special Session 2 - Wind energy and biodiversity in the tropics

Duration : 1h15. Tuesday 9^th September (14:00 -15:15)

Moderators : Emma Bennett (Elmoby Ecology) and Kate MacEwan (Western EcoSystems Inc.)

In this session, our hosts bring together stories and voices from across the tropics through an interactive format that combines in-person speakers with pre-recorded short talks and interviews. Home to 85% of the world’s poorest people and over 80% of the world’s living languages, the tropics face significant financial and linguistic barriers to participation in forums like CWW. To help bridge this gap, we harness digital technology to connect and include more of those voices. The tropics is both the most biodiverse and underdeveloped region on Earth, and over the past 30 years, its economic growth has outpaced that of the rest of the world. While wind energy development has already progressed rapidly in some tropical regions, the coming decade is expected to bring a major expansion in installed capacity—raising new wildlife conflicts in areas rich in endemic species. This session will explore the lessons already learned from working in the tropics, the unique challenges faced in these regions, and the central role of people and culture in developing long-term solutions that benefit biodiversity. 

• Session Introduction
• Region 1 (Asia Pacific) : introduction, interviews, case study
• Region 2 (Africa) : introduction, interviews, case study
• Region 3 (Central – South America) : introduction, interviews, case study
• Summary of issues, what next, how to increase knowledge sharing, etc. ?
• Q & A

 

Special Session 3 - meeting the challenge of mitigating bat mortality at wind energy facilities

Duration : 1h30. Wednesday 10^th September (14:15-15:45)

Moderator: Winifred F. Frick (Bat Conservation International)

Designing and implementing effective bat mitigation is needed as wind energy expands globally, but has often lagged behind practices implemented for birds because relevant information for mitigation planning for bats is often lacking. This special session will include four selected presentations that address the challenges of developing bat mitigation practices for bats in different parts of the world, including biodiverse regions of the global south. The special session also includes a moderated panel discussion with speakers and experts to discuss and explore challenges and solutions to implementing mitigation practices in a global context.

Panel : 4 speakers to be announced

 

Special Session 4 - Offshore wind in emerging markets

Duration : 1h30. Wednesday 10^th September (14:15-15:45)

Moderators: Kate Williams (Biodiversity Research Institute) and Aonghais Cook (The Biodiversity Consultancy)

• Short opening introductory speech
• Focus on the implementation of new approaches or technologies to inform offshore wind siting and management in new geographies. 
• Presentation of SenMap report (World Bank Group): Identifying where gaps in data exist & then attempting to fill them
• Panel discussion focusing on how to develop offshore wind both quickly and in an environmentally responsible way (is it possible to balance those competing objectives?)
• Innovative approaches used in various countries to address some of the gaps in baseline data.

This special session will include a panel session : 4 panelists to be announced.

 

Special Session 5 - Dealing with uncertainty: balancing adaptive management, the precautionary principle, and scientific advancement. 

Duration : 1h15. Thursday 11^th September (10:45-12:00)

Moderator: Sam Ralston-Patton (BirdLife Internation South-Africa)
 

The urgent need for the rapid rollout of wind energy means that decisions often must be made based on imperfect or incomplete data. Adopting a precautionary approach can be important for minimising risks to wildlife, but can limit opportunities for development, as well as for research and innovation into effective solutions. Conversely, adaptive management (AM)—learning by doing—allows for iterative improvements, but can increase risks both to biodiversity and to industry if implemented in the absence of a solid framework.

In this panel discussion, we will explore case studies where adaptive management has been applied. We will discuss what is required to ensure that the implementation of adaptive management does indeed lead to increased knowledge and that we do not inadvertently cause unacceptable harm to wildlife or undermine the viability of wind energy projects.  

This special session will include a panel session : 4 panelists to be announced.

 

Special Session 6 - Exploring blade patterning as a mitigation strategy—results from studies across the globe, lessons learned and the way forward

Duration : 1h30. Thursday 11^th September (13:30 -15:00)

Moderators : Shilo K. Felton (REWI) & Roel May (NINA)

In 2020, May and colleagues documented a nearly 72% decline in bird fatalities caused by collision with wind turbine blades in Norway associated with a simple manipulation, painting one blade black. The method generated considerable interest in scientific, media, and even regulatory circles as it appears to thread a very fine needle; reducing impacts to bird populations using a simple, durable, inexpensive, low maintenance solution that does not interfere with energy production. Patterning blades is thought to visually disrupt what otherwise may appear to the bird as a uniform airspace, making the turbine more visible, and eliciting avoidance behavior. However promising and well executed, the Norway study was at a single unique location and included just four of 68 turbines with painted blades. As such, there has been a widespread effort to generalize the result by replicating this study in other locations across the globe and with other species. At the same time the search for the most effective, and broadly accepted combination of colors and patterns continued. This special session brings together scientists and practitioners implementing both field and lab experiments and explores civil aviation and technical challenges in large scale application of blade pattering in other wind farms. The authors explore the potential mechanisms that may make blade patterning effective for certain avian species with sophisticated lab experiments. Presentations will provide results for several relevant scientific studies and provide an overview of the regulatory, political, engineering, and funding hurdles that impact study design and potential implementation. A moderated discussion among the presenters will follow to answer audience questions and allow for an open dialogue on the challenges and potential solutions.

Program:

• Introduction: Joint responsibility in the development of effective wind-turbine collision-reducing solutions, Roel May (10 min)
• “The search for the holy grail: one black rotor blade did not reduce bird mortality in windfarm Eemshaven”, by Jonne Kleyheeg-Hartman / Erik Klop (10 min)
• “Testing the efficacy of black blades in Wyoming, U.S. with a unique experimental design”, by Robb Diehl / Tara Conkling / Shilo Felton (10 min)
• “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dangers: Blade patterning reduces avian impacts at a species-rich African wind farm”, by Rob Simmons (10 min)
• “Exploring blade patterning as a mitigation strategy: progress and perspectives from South Africa (a case study)”, by Sam Ralston-Paton (10 min)
• “Optimizing blade patterns for avian collision mitigation: a computer vision approach”, by Graham Taylor (10 min)
• Discussion moderated by Shilo Felton (30 min)

 

Special Session 7 - From assessing to managing subsea impacts of offshore wind

Duration : 1h30. Thursday 11^th September (13:30 -15:00)

Moderators : Systke Van den Akker (Waardenburg Ecology) and Bob Rumes (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences)

 

Offshore wind energy is expanding rapidly, with ambitious targets set for the near future. For proper environmental management, it’s crucial to consider the impacts large-scale offshore wind development will have on the marine ecosystem. This session will explore ecosystem models, tools for risk assessment, the importance of continuous monitoring, and opportunities for nature-inclusive design and ecological enhancement within offshore wind farms

 

• Short introduction to the special session, by Systke Van den Akker
• 4 talks : panelists to be announced
• NID - feedback from workshop of September 8^th, by Bob Rumes
• Role of windfarms in restoration of natural reefs- Karin Didderen (Waardenburg Ecology)