WORK PLAN
2015-2018
PILLAR #1 – MONITORING, MITIGATION, AND COMPENSATION
TASK 1.1 – SCIENTIFIC CONSULTING AND COLLABORATION WITH REN
Scientific support to REN on evaluation, mitigation, monitoring and compensation of impacts caused by their infrastructures.
TASK 1.2 – ORGANIZATION OF DATA COLLECTED IN STUDIES PROMOTED BY REN
Collection, organization and analyses of data collected in previous consultancy work promoted by the company, and including Chair studies.
TASK 1.3 – MODELLING BIRD MORTALITY CAUSED BY COLLISION
Characterization of mortality levels in REN lines, and analysis of drivers of fatality hotspots.
TASK 1.4 – IMPROVEMENT OF MORTALITY ESTIMATES CAUSED BY COLLISION
Study about the different correction factors that are generally used to calculate bird mortality, including carcass detectability and removal rate by scavengers. For this purpose, a study on carcasses removal rate on rights-of-way of transmission lines was carried out.
TASK 1.5 – EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ANTI-COLLISION DEVICES
(i) Inventory and statistical analyses of the information in studies promoted by REN and other institutions; (ii) Potential application for additional funding to monitoring a power line where bird flight diverters were installed, or replaced, using as model-species the little bustard (Tetrax tetrax).
TASK 1.6 – PATTERNS OF POWER LINE PYLON USE BY NESTING WHITE STORKS
Understanding the drivers that explain the presence and abundance of white stork nests on different power line pylons of REN. This information allowed identifying which pylons can potentially be used more by storks, as a function of pylon type, environmental and land-use variables.
TASK 1.7 – GOOD PRACTICES MANUAL
Drafting of a Handbook of Good practices for the evaluation, mitigation, compensation, and monitoring of impacts on power lines on bird populations.
PILLAR #2 – POPULATION ECOLOGY
TASK 2.1 – BIRD MOVEMENT AND DEMOGRAPHIC PARAMETERS
With the aim of estimating relevant demographic parameters, this task included: (i) bird population counts – information collection about current state and demographic trends of target species populations, and including censuses of wintering and breeding populations; (ii) studies on survival and mortality – target species were used as model to study movement ecology, their relation with power lines, and description of natural and non-natural mortality rates.
TASK 2.2 – IMPACT OF MORTALITY CAUSED BY POWER LINES ON POPULATION DYNAMICS
This task aimed to establish the circumstances under which collision fatality caused by power lines occur could have significant effects on the viability of species populations.
PILLAR #3 – CITIZEN SCIENCE
TASK 3.1 – PILOT PROJECT: PRODUCTIVITY OF WHITE STORKS NESTING ON POWER LINES
Development of a citizen science initiative aiming to model the drivers that affect the productivity of white storks in Portugal. REN and EDP staff collected information of productivity of storks nesting in power lines. Collected data in this task were also used for Task 2.1.
TASK 3.2 – REVIEW OF CITIZEN SCIENCE INITIATIVES IN PORTUGAL AND EUROPE
Overview of citizen science initiatives in Portugal and Europe to prepare another initiative on the second biennium of the Chair.
PILLAR #4 – COMPLEMENTARY ACTION LINES
TASK 4.1 – ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION
This task included 4 research lines: (i) Restoring of burned areas; (ii) survival and growth of planted and sown native species in restoration projects; (iii) Impact and control of exotic invasive species; (iv) Participation in the land degradation report of the IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services). Lines (ii) and (iii) were dependent on the approval of LIFE project “Green Connect”.
TASK 4.2 – BIODIVERSITY ON AGRICULTURAL AND FORESTRY ECOSYSTEMS
Research topics included: (i) Ecological responses of farmland birds to climate and land-use change; (ii) Impacts of the Common Agricultural Policy on agricultural areas with high natural value; (iii) Dynamic and ecology of oak forests.