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National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act No. 107 of 1998)

Notices

Procedures for the Assessment and Minimum Criteria for reporting on Identified Environmental Themes ito Sections 24 and 44 of the Act when applying for Environmental Authorisation

Schedule B : Environmental Themes

Avifauna : Protocol for the Specialist Assessment and Minimum Report content requirements for Environmental Impacts on Avifaunal Species by Onshore Wind Energy Generation Facilities where the Electricity Output is 20 Megawatts or more

2. Specialist Assessment and Minimum Report content requirements

 

TABLE 1: ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING OF IMPACTS ON AVIFAUNAL SPECIES FOR ONSHORE WIND ENERGY GENERATION FACILITIES WHERE THE OUTPUT IS 20 MW OR MORE

 

1. General information

 

1.1. An applicant intending to undertake an activity identified in the scope of this protocol must undertake an Avifaunal Specialist Assessment based on the potential significance of the impact that the identified activity could have on bird species.

 

1.2. An Avifaunal Specialist Assessment is to be undertaken for all sensitivity ratings provided by the national web based environmental screening tool (screening tool)10, as the present level of knowledge on bird behaviour and species population precludes confident predictions on the sustainability of priority or threatened species nationally.

 

1.3. The information provided by the screening tool includes known nests, roosts, vulture restaurants and areas likely to support priority bird species including threatened or rare species, especially those that may be susceptible to wind energy development. Precautionary buffers to these sensitivities as well as to the specific feature have been added. The data is, however, unverified and incomplete and therefore these features and buffers are to be used only as a guide to assist to focus the Avifaunal Specialist Assessment.

 

VERY HIGH SENSITIVITY RATING - Very high sensitivity areas are likely to provide critical habitat for priority bird species11 sensitive to wind energy development12 and/or whose population is reliant on highly localized and unique roosting, nesting and /or foraging sites.

 

These areas are potentially unsuitable for development owing to there being recent confirmed evidence that the priority bird species are present.
2. The Avifaunal Specialist Assessment

 

2.1. The process for undertaking the Avifaunal Impact Assessment comprises of three phases:
(a) a reconnaissance study;
(b) the preparation of a pre-application avifaunal monitoring plan; and
(c) the undertaking of an avifaunal impact assessment and the preparation of a report.

 

2.2. All tasks of the Avifaunal Specialist Assessment must be undertaken by an avifauna specialist registered with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professionals (SACNASP).

 

2 3. All tasks are to be undertaken on the site being submitted as the preferred site and on a control site located in accordance with the latest version of the Bird and Wind-Energy Best-Practice Guideline13, and must identify:
(a) the extent of the impact of the proposed development on priority bird species; and
(b) whether the proposed development will have an unacceptable impact on priority or threatened bird species.

 

2.4. The Avifaunal Specialist Assessment must be undertaken based on the results of a site specific Pre-Application Avifaunal Monitoring Plan that is informed by a Reconnaissance Study, as well as data collected over four seasons (i.e. summer, autumn, winter and spring) on the preferred site and the control site.

 

3. Reconnaissance Study

 

3.1. The Reconnaissance Study is to be based on a desktop study of relevant information as well as a 2 to 4-day on-site inspection of both sites.

 

3.2. The occurrence of target species is to be identified, including seasonality of occurrence and migratory patterns of the species.

 

3.3. The study must define the study area (avifaunal impact zone).

 

3.4. The study is to produce a site specific Pre-Application Avifaunal Monitoring Plan.

 

HIGH SENSITIVITY RATING - High sensitivity areas include:

(i) habitat likely to be of importance to priority bird species sensitive to wind energy developments, Critically Endangered, Endangered bird species and/or Vulnerable bird species; and
(ii) habitat likely to be of importance to endemic and/or restricted-range bird species that are susceptible to impacts from wind energy facilities. These areas are potentially sensitive for development.

MEDIUM SENSITIVITY RATING - Medium sensitivity areas have limited potential for supporting priority populations of threatened species that are susceptible to impacts from wind energy facilities.
4. Pre-application Avifaunal Monitoring Plan

 

4.1. The plan, as a minimum, must include14:
4.1.1. the study area and its characteristics which must be mapped including the extent, habitat, special features including topographical and water features, quarries, drainage lines, known breeding sites, existing uses of land, existing infrastructure such as power lines and roads, and existing operational wind energy facilities within 30km of the site;
4.1.2. target avifaunal species that are likely to occur on the preferred site and for which monitoring is required;
4.1.3. pre-application monitoring requirements for both the site as well as the control site, that must include the following:
4.1.3.1. the monitoring intervals including the number and duration of monitoring events which must be based on the latest version of the BirdLife South Africa Bird and Wind-Energy Best-Practice Guideline or a motivation provided for the deviation;
4.1.3.2. the location of monitoring points;
4.1.3.3. aspects to be monitored (for example, bird abundance and flight activity, presence of target species, proportion of flying time each target species spends at turbine rotor height, preferred flight paths, risk of identified target species to collision, areas for specific monitoring if any, etc.);
4.1.3.4. equipment to be used;
4.1.3.5. monitoring methodology for the abundance or activity monitoring and for direct observation or vantage point surveys, the latest version of the BirdLife South Africa Bird and Wind-Energy Best-Practice Guideline must be followed or a motivation provided for the deviation;
4.1.3.6. numbers of observers to be used; and
4.1.3.7. data to be captured including a pro-forma data capturing template consistent with that envisaged by the national bird monitoring database, once operational.

 

5. Implementation of the site specific Pre-Application Avifaunal Monitoring Plan

 

5.1. Monitoring according to the plan is to be carded out for a period of not less than four seasons.
5.2. Data on pre-application monitoring must be captured on the national bird monitoring database accessed at https://www.environment.gov.za/birddatabase, once operational.

 

6. Avifaunal Specialist Assessment

 

6.1. Based on the outcome of the reconnaissance study and the findings of the pre-application avifaunal monitoring, an Avifaunal Specialist Assessment must be undertaken. The assessment, as a minimum, must include the following aspects:
6.1.1. discussion on bird abundance and movement within the site;
6.1.2. discussion on presence of target or threatened species and their occurrence on the site at heights which could pose risks to collision;
6.1.3. assessment of risk of identified target species to collision including the expected fatality rates of the target species based on a suitable model commonly used for risk determination, per species and for the site;
6.1.4. identification and mapping where relevant, of any migratory or preferential bird routes or corridors;
6.1.5. where relevant, discussion on the risk of displacement;
6.1.6. where relevant, areas identified within the site as having a very high sensitivity for bird collision or displacement and in which the development of turbines should be avoided. These areas are to be mapped;
6.1.7. in areas where existing operational wind energy generation facilities have been identified within a 30km radius, a cumulative impact assessment must be undertaken which includes:
6.1.7.1. the fatality rates for target species at the wind energy generation facilities within a 10km radius;
6.1.7.2. the possible additional fatalities from the proposed wind energy generation facility for target species as well as general avifaunal species; and
6.1.7.3. a discussion on the possible cumulative impact of the proposed facility on regional populations of target species;
6.1.8. where no existing operating wind energy generation facilities occur within the 10km radius, the specialist must include a discussion on possible cumulative impacts on target species from the proposed facility; and
6.1.9. a plan for post construction monitoring (on both the preferred site as well as the control site) and reporting, which must include:
6.1.9.1. timeframes and intervals for monitoring;
6.1.9.2. number of turbines to be monitored, including any specific area for monitoring;
6.1.9.3. methodology for searcher efficiency and scavenger removal;
6.1.9.4. method for monitoring, i.e. transects or radial as well as extent of monitoring area;
6.1.9.5. results of monitoring compared against expected fatality rates per target species as well as general species;
6.1.9.6. reporting requirements, including organisations for submission of reports;
6.1.9.7. years and intervals for monitoring to occur; and
6.1.9.8. all methods used to estimate bird numbers and movements during reconnaissance and pre-application monitoring, which should be applied in exactly the same order to ensure the comparablity of these two data sets.

 

6.2. The findings of the Avifaunal Specialist Assessment must be written up in an Avifaunal Specialist Assessment Report that contains as a minimum the following information:
6.2.1. the SACNASP registration number of the avifaunal specialist preparing the assessment and their curriculum vitae;
6.2.2. a signed statement of independence by the specialist;
6.2.3. a description of the study area including a map of all the aspects identified in the duration, dates and seasons of the site investigation and the relevance of the season to the outcome of the assessment;
6.2.4. the outcome of the reconnaissance study and the resultant site specific pre-application avifaunal monitoring;
6.2.5. a description of the methodology used to undertake the site specific pre-application avifaunal monitoring program inclusive of the equipment used;
6.2.6. a map showing the Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates for each of the monitoring points for both the preferred site as well as the control site;
6.2.7. the monitoring intervals for both sites;
6.2.8. where relevant, a map showing the areas to be avoided;
6.2.9. fatality prediction for target species and general species on the preferred site;
6.2.10. a map showing the existing renewable energy facilities within a 10km radius of the proposed development;
6.2.11. where relevant, the outcomes of the cumulative impact assessment;
6.2.12. a discussion based on the pre-application monitoring of the expected impact of the proposed development on avifaunal species;
6.2.13. a substantiated statement from the avifauna specialist, indicating the acceptability or not of the proposed development and a recommendation on the approval, or not, of the proposed development;
6.2.14. any conditions to which this statement is subjected;
6.2.15. a detailed post construction monitoring programme;
6.2.16. the outcomes of the post -construction monitoring, including data and specialists reports, must be uploaded onto the national bird monitoring database, to be accessed at https://www.environment.gov.za/birddatabase, once operational;
6.2.17. where required, proposed mitigation measures or any monitoring requirements for inclusion in the Environmental Management Programme (EMPr); and
6.2.18. a description of the assumptions made and any uncertainties or gaps in knowledge or data.

 

6.3. The findings of the Avifaunal Specialist Assessment must be incorporated into the Basic Assessment Report or the Environmental Impact Assessment Report, including the mitigation and monitoring measures as identified, which must be incorporated into the EMPr.

 

6.4. A signed copy of the Avifaunal Specialist Assessment must be appended to the Basic Assessment Report or Environmental Impact Assessment Report.

 

LOW SENSITIVITY RATING - Low sensitivity areas possibly do not support priority populations of threatened species that are susceptible to impacts from wind energy facilities. These areas are probably suitable for development.

 

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10 The national web-based environmental screening tool can be accessed at https://screening.environment.gov.za/screeningtool.

11 Priority bird species sensitive to wind energy developments include those identified by BirdLife South Africa as well as those listed on South Africa's National Red List website 42, 43 as Critical Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable, Threatened or near Threatened according to the IUCN Red List 3.1.

12 https://www.birdlife.org.za/conservation/terrestrial-bird-conservation/birds-and-renewable-evergy/wind-farm-map

13 The Best Practice Guidelines for assessing and monitoring the impact of wind energy facilities on birds in Southern Africa is available from: https://www.birdlìfe.org.za/documents.

14 It is advisable to discuss the content of the plan with BirdLife South Africa before its finalisation.