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Environmental Impact Assessment Methods: An Overview of the Process for Wind Farms’ Different Phases—From Pre-construction to Operation

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Biodiversity and Wind Farms in Portugal

Abstract

Although significant progress has been made into better understanding interactions between biodiversity and wind farms, providing accurate and reliable assessment methods that allow studying the real effects of these projects is of major importance. Focusing on the Portuguese wind energy development current status and by referring to other international guidelines , the currently applied general procedures were compiled in a step-by-step process, from pre-project development to the operation phases. Today, legislation stipulates that impact assessment is mandatory for most of the energy development projects in Portugal, including wind energy. Wind farm impact assessment starts—in most cases—with baseline studies to allow prediction of the main impacts expected on wildlife, as well as the presence of endangered species and/or landscape features. This may lead to the need for layout adjustment or the definition of mitigation measures on site. When a project is approved, even if it is assumed that the major impacts have been identified and mitigated, that does not mean that it is free of negative effects. It is of major importance that the real impacts are evaluated during construction and operation phases based on the methods applied during pre-construction. In addition, the establishment of a reference area to compare with the wind farm situation is fundamental. These temporal and spatial features should be assessed by a before-after-control-impact design. A basis of the sampling and data collection methods is also addressed in this chapter according to most commonly targeted biodiversity (fauna and flora). Techniques vary from standard field surveys by one or more observers to the use of less common and more recent technologies.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bioinsight, Odivelas, Portugal

    Joana Santos, Joana Marques, Tiago Neves & Miguel Mascarenhas

  2. Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

    Ana Teresa Marques

  3. Centre for Applied Ecology “Prof. Baeta Neves”, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

    Ana Teresa Marques

  4. REN Biodiversity Chair, CIBIO/InBIO Associate Laboratory, University of Porto, Vairão, Portugal

    Ana Teresa Marques

  5. Bioinsight, Cape Town, South Africa

    Ricardo Ramalho

Authors
  1. Joana Santos
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  2. Joana Marques
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  3. Tiago Neves
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  4. Ana Teresa Marques
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  5. Ricardo Ramalho
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  6. Miguel Mascarenhas
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Miguel Mascarenhas .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Bioinsight, Odivelas, Grande Lisboa, Portugal

    Miguel Mascarenhas

  2. cE3c—Centro de Ecologia, Evolução e Alterações Ambientais, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Grande Lisboa, Portugal

    Ana Teresa Marques

  3. Bioinsight, Cape Town, South Africa

    Ricardo Ramalho

  4. Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal (CIISA), Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

    Dulce Santos

  5. CIBIO-InBIO, Department of Biology—Pole of Mitra, University of Évora, Évora, Alto Alentejo, Portugal

    Joana Bernardino

  6. Department of Biology—Group of Adaptation Biology and Ecological Processes, University of Aveiro—CESAM, Aveiro, Baixo Vouga, Portugal

    Carlos Fonseca

Appendix

Appendix

(See Table 3.5).

Table 3.5 Compilation of the analysed guidelines for impact assessment (pre- to post-construction phases) in wind energy projects developed for Portugal in comparison with other international references
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Santos, J., Marques, J., Neves, T., Marques, A.T., Ramalho, R., Mascarenhas, M. (2018). Environmental Impact Assessment Methods: An Overview of the Process for Wind Farms’ Different Phases—From Pre-construction to Operation. In: Mascarenhas, M., Marques, A., Ramalho, R., Santos, D., Bernardino, J., Fonseca, C. (eds) Biodiversity and Wind Farms in Portugal. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60351-3_3

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