We summarize the international guidelines, IFC standards and our monitoring approach used in bird and bat monitoring studies for wind energy projects.
Potential impacts on bird and bat species at wind power plants are among the key topics both in national permitting processes and in projects requiring international financing.
Key references
- IFC / World Bank Group EHS Guidelines for Wind Energy (2015) — the technical reference for good international industry practice (GIIP) in wind energy projects.
- IFC–EBRD–KfW Good Practice Handbook: Post-construction Bird and Bat Fatality Monitoring (2023) — the current good practice guide for operational-phase bird and bat fatality monitoring methodologies at onshore wind farms.
- IFC Performance Standards — particularly PS1 (risk and impact management) and PS6 (biodiversity and living natural resources). The lender’s applicable version requirements should also be checked on a project basis.
Our monitoring approach
In ornithological observation studies, point counts, transects, migration watches and target species monitoring are planned according to the nature of the project. For bat monitoring, the spatial and temporal distribution of activity is established through acoustic detector recordings and habitat surveys.
The data obtained forms the basis for assessing collision and barotrauma risks and for designing appropriate mitigation measures and operational-phase biological monitoring programs.
- Wind Farms
- Ornithology
- Bat Monitoring
- IFC
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