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Project LIFE Energy as implemented in thirteen SPAs (Special Protection Areas) in the period of 1st September 2014 - 31st December 2019 and was aimed at protecting the ten priority bird species. Project pages are currently updated only on an occasional basis.

4 500 flight diverters in western Slovakia protect birds

Written by  Redakcia Thursday, 06 June 2019 15:01

 

The LIFE Energy project started in September 2014. One of the main objectives was to identify, based on the monitoring, which sections of power lines pose the greatest risk of collisions to birds. The project took place in lowland areas in 13 Special Protected Areas (of which 7 in the west).


“Western Slovakia is specific due to the fact, that there is a key population of the swan in our country. It is a large, heavy bird, adapted for slow overflights. Swans are often concentrated in flocks when they fly. In a large group, however, their reactions are delayed; especially this concerns the last individual Thus, the majestic bird often died due to collisions with the power lines and at the same time caused power outages. We have found that this has been the case especially in high-concentration sites such as rapeseed fields, flooded terrain depressions and water channels. After evaluating the results of the mapping, we proposed specific sections of electric lines to treat the so-called flight diverters,”explains Marek Gális from Raptor Protection of Slovakia.


“We installed three different types of diverters on 43 km of high-risk lines - RIBE slats, FireFly and SWAN-FLIGHT Diverter - approximately 4,500 elements. This was followed by monitoring the effectiveness of these measures, which showed that the efficiency of all three types of diverters was almost 100 percent. We plan to continue the ecologization of dangerous sections, ”says Michaela Dobošová, spokeswoman of Západoslovenská distribučná, a.s.


“Birds in the vicinity of Nitra that survived the collisions were transported to the Rehabilitation Station at the Administration of the Protected Landscape Area of Ponitrie Nitra - Šindolka. Some of them were saved and released into the wild after rehabilitation. This year we have received 49 protected animals in the rehabilitation station, of which 17 have been successfully rehabilitated and released,” explains Radimír Siklienka, Director of the Administration of the Protected Landscape Area of Ponitrie and the Protected Landscape Area of Dunajské Luhy in Nitra.

 

Additional information:

  • You can find out more about the project LIFE13 NAT/SK/001272 ENERGIA on the web site www.lifeenergia.sk , eventually www.facebook.com/lifeenergia.sk.

  • Project is supported by European Union within a LIFE program. It contributes significantly to improvement of conditions for the criterial species of birds in Natura 2000 sites.