After identifying several cases of mortality due to electrocution in Castelo Branco, measures were taken to correct the power lines.
In February, during monitoring in the Tejo Internacional Natural Park, Quercus, a partner in the LIFE PowerLines4Birds, detected 26 cases of mortality due to electrocution. Among these deaths, were two cinereous vultures, a target species of the project and currently threatened in Portugal. Among the various power lines monitored, one in particular stood out. With approximately 25 km, the partners identified 17 cases of mortality due to electrocution: 13 griffon vultures, 2 short-toed snake-eagles, 1 cinereous vulture, and 1 unidentified raptor.
Given the privileged location of this power line in the Tejo Internacional region, with a habitat suitable for these species, birds often use power line pylons to rest, which exposes them to a higher risk of electrocution that can result in their death.
Given the urgency of the situation, the project partners coordinated their efforts to share information and identify solutions to expedite the process of repairing this power line. E-REDES, also a project partner, took the necessary steps to, at the beginning of July, start installing anti-electrocution devices, a measure known as ‘combined solution’ in which the cables near the pylon are insulated. Quercus monitored the installation of these devices on the ground and will continue to monitor these power lines, ensuring that the measures are functioning correctly to prevent bird mortality from electrocution.
Monitoring power lines is a key part of the project and allows us to identify critical situations for birdlife and assess the effectiveness of the measures implemented. Close collaboration between the LIFE PowerLines4Birds partners is essential so that we can act quickly and ensure the protection of birdlife, especially for populations as fragile as the black vulture.
The LIFE PowerLines4Birds project is co-financed by the European Union's LIFE Program and aims to reduce the impact of power lines through electrocution and collision in the Iberian Peninsula for seven priority bird species that are highly vulnerable to these threats.
The partners in this project are the League for the Protection of Nature (LPN), the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA), QUERCUS - National Association for Nature Conservation, the Spanish Ornithological Society (SEO/Birdlife) and E-Redes.
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