Research and Technology Centre (FTZ), University of Kiel, Hafentörn 1, 25761 Büsum, Germany.
Research and Technology Centre (FTZ), University of Kiel, Hafentörn 1, 25761 Büsum, Germany.
J Environ Manage. 2019 Feb 1;231:429-438. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.10.053. Epub 2018 Oct 24.
Seabirds select suitable habitats at sea, but these habitats may be strongly impacted by marine spatial planning, including the construction of offshore wind farms (OWFs) and the associated ship traffic. Loons (Gavia spp.) are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic activities and are also of high conservation status, making them particularly relevant to marine planning processes. We investigated the effects of OWF construction and ship traffic on Loon distributions in the German North Sea on a large spatial scale, using a 'before-after' control impact analysis approach and a long-term data set. Many OWFs were built in or close to core areas of Loon distributions. Loons showed significant shifts in their distribution in the 'after' period and subsequently aggregated between two OWF clusters, indicating the remaining suitable habitat. The decrease in Loon abundance became significant as far as about 16 km from the closest OWF. Ship traffic also had a significant negative impact on Loons, indicating that OWFs deterred Loons through the combined effect of ship traffic and the wind turbines themselves. This study provides the first analysis of the extensive effects of OWFs and ships on Loons on a large spatial scale. The results provide an essential baseline for future marine spatial planning processes in the German North Sea and elsewhere.
海鸟在海上选择适宜的栖息地，但这些栖息地可能会受到海洋空间规划的强烈影响，包括海上风电场（OWFs）的建设和相关船舶交通。潜鸟（Gavia spp.）特别容易受到人为活动的影响，同时也处于高度保护状态，因此它们与海洋规划过程特别相关。我们使用“前后”对照影响分析方法和长期数据集，从大的空间尺度上调查了 OWF 建设和船舶交通对德国北海潜鸟分布的影响。许多 OWF 建在或靠近潜鸟分布的核心区域。潜鸟在“后”期的分布发生了显著变化，随后在两个 OWF 集群之间聚集，表明仍有适宜的栖息地。潜鸟数量的减少在离最近的 OWF 约 16 公里的范围内变得显著。船舶交通对潜鸟也有显著的负面影响，表明 OWF 通过船舶交通和风力涡轮机本身的共同作用来驱赶潜鸟。这项研究首次在大的空间尺度上分析了 OWFs 和船舶对潜鸟的广泛影响。研究结果为未来德国北海及其他地区的海洋空间规划过程提供了重要的基准。
