“LIFE PowerLines4birds - Reducing the impact of power lines to improve the conservation of threatened birds in the Iberian Peninsula”, is co-funded by the European Union (EU) LIFE program and aims at reducing the impact of power lines by electrocution and collision for 7 priority bird species highly vulnerable to this threat.
Several studies have clearly shown that power lines represent a risk of collision and electrocution for birds.
This is a reality both in Portugal and Spain, including in the Special Protection Areas (SPA) of the Natura 2000 network, where power lines represent an important cause of non-natural mortality for several threatened bird species.
This project will be ongoing until April 2027 and is funded by the EU in more than 4 million euros. Liga para a Protecção da Natureza (LPN) leads the project and brings together, as partners, Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves (SPEA), QUERCUS, Sociedad Española de Ornitología (SEO) and E-REDES - Distribuição de Eletricidade SA (E-REDES).
It also has the collaboration of ICNF - Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas.
To ensure the goal of long term reduction of the impact of power lines by electrocution and collision for the seven target-species, the following objectives have been defined:
Ensure safe breeding and feeding areas with less dangerous interactions with power lines;
Promote a significant reduction in bird mortality due to the interaction with power lines in Natura 2000 SPA and adjacent areas through the widespread implementation of existing best practices;
Test new methodologies to improve the effectiveness of bird mortality mitigation measures to inform the implementation in new power lines at a national level;
Increase the ability to identify and predict mortality hotspots in power lines;
Promote training in electricity companies and government entities and increase the reporting of incidents by professionals;
Improve the governance and sustainability of the electrical grid to improve the conservation of nature and the protection of biodiversity;
Promote networking with other projects, strengthening the conservation efforts of projects that are working with this and other threats to the target bird species.
The project also plans actions to increase the distribution area and reproductive success of the roller (Coracias garrulus), mainly through the installation of nest boxes on pylons of the power grid protected against electrocution.
This project will substantially increase safe breeding and feeding areas, reducing the risk of bird mortality due to the interaction with power lines in 23 transboundary SPA (14 PT + 9 SP). Therefore, it is intended that this project contributes in providing better survival conditions and improving populations of these species in the Iberian Peninsula.
This project is a step forward in mitigating the impact of power lines on birds for both countries (Portugal and Spain), updating the knowledge of stakeholders to improve the sustainability and management of the Natura 2000 network.
