24 Mar 2009 05:03:19
RSPB report supports more wind farms
Objections to wind farms from one conservation group have dropped following the publication of a report noting that wildlife and wind power can coexist.
A report commissioned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) revealed that wind power could help protect species from extinction but isn't necessarily a threat to wildlife.
The report urged the development of more wind power projects and called for an end to delays on projects, noting that the UK was 13th in the EU for per capita wind power, lagging behind Estonia.
It called for a strategic approach from the planning system in order to establish the priority of wind turbines in some areas while protecting some for wildlife, based on recommendations from conservationists.
Wind farms should be promoted in order to receive public support, be it through public ownership of turbines, reduced bills or money for local facilities, recommended the report.
Ruth Davis head of Climate Change Policy at the RSPB, said: "The need for renewable energy could not be more urgent. Left unchecked, climate change threatens many species with extinction. Yet, that sense of urgency is not translating into action on the ground to harness the abundant wind energy around us."
A report from Newcastle University last year noted that of a variety of bird species, only pheasant populations seemed to be affected by wind turbines on farmland.
http://tinyurl.com/ctbqsc
