image: Interactions between wind farms and wildlife create potential conflicts that scientists have been trying to find solutions for in the fight for a sustainable future. This new series of books from Pelagic Publishing represents the first time that the ever-expanding global literature on nature and wind farms has been brought together into one synthesis. view more
Credit: Pelagic Publishing
Exeter UK, 4 May 2017: Wind power is an essential technology in the fight for a sustainable future powered by renewable energy. But wind turbines, especially when grouped together into wind farms, pose their own problems to wildlife.
"There was a clear need for a coherent overarching review of both actual and potential effects of wind farms, what tools we should be using to conduct meaningful research, and perhaps most importantly, how possible impacts could be successfully avoided or mitigated," says series editor, Dr Martin Perrow.
Although they provide a significant source of renewable energy, birds, bats and other animals can collide into the structures that they don't expect to find in their aerial paths. Land-dwelling animals including insects, mammals, reptiles and amphibians can also be affected by wind farm development. The surrounding animal communities can therefore be significantly harmed if wind farms are badly placed or planned.
Scientists are investigating the interactions between wind farms and wildlife and this new series of books represents the first time that the ever-expanding literature has been brought together into one synthesis. It is formulated into a series of carefully matched contributions from leading experts around the world in the fields of renewable energy and ecology. Often, these experts provide unique insights, with information that has yet to be published elsewhere.
"These books provide a 'go-to' guide on the interactions between wind farms and wildlife in order to achieve the ultimate goal of a win-win scenario for renewable energy and biodiversity," explains Dr Perrow.
The first two books in the four-part series cover the onshore arm of wind energy, with information on the potential effects, and how to monitor and mitigate them. The second two books, which will complete the series, will cover offshore wind farms and will be published in 2018. This vital series is aimed at anyone with an interest in renewable energy and the ways in which it impacts biodiversity, including researchers, consultants, developers, planners, managers, academics and students in higher education.
As the land given over to wind farms increases, these books come at a critical time. Dr Perrow believes these books will be instrumental in allowing practitioners to make informed decisions about how and where to install one of the key components in curbing global warming and climate change: "I hope this series of books will inform and educate around the globe both in developed countries already engaged in wind energy, and especially developing countries with important biodiversity, that are seeking to do so."
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Resources
Wildlife and Wind Farms: Volume 1 http://bit.ly/2pCFM3y
Wildlife and Wind Farms: Volume 2 http://bit.ly/2pCFFoE
Media kit (including information sheets, cover images, sample pages and editor bio): http://bit.ly/2pCD3H6
Book trailer video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpZycEsDm_4
Contact
Publisher: Nigel Massen | Pelagic Publishing | nigelmassen@pelagicpublishing.com
About Pelagic Publishing
We publish books for scientists, conservationists, ecologists, wildlife enthusiasts - anyone with a passion for understanding and exploring the natural world.