An albatross around our necks: bird lovers warn on wind farms

Albatross experts are warning of ‘catastrophe’ for the threatened seabirds unless the Albanese government adequately regulates Australia’s offshore wind farms.

Scientists warn that offshore wind farms must be designed and regulated to avoid albatross deaths. Picture: Danny Lee

Albatross experts are warning of “catastrophe” for the threatened seabirds unless the Albanese government adequately regulates Australia’s offshore wind farms.

Humane Society International and one of the nation’s leading albatross experts, Nigel Brothers, have briefed the government on urgent measures needed to avoid a wildlife disaster.

“It’s got the potential to have a really significant impact – even catastrophic, depending how extensive the wind farms are and how well they are designed,” said HSI Australia head of campaigns Nicola Beynon.

“HSI Australia is highly sympathetic to the need to decarbonise the economy and to do that fast, but it needs to be done with care taken now, upfront.

“It’s no good solving the climate crisis by exacerbating the extinction crisis.” HSI and Mr Brothers recently briefed Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and her officials on measures to avoid harming the world’s largest and most imperilled flying birds.

They have urged Ms Plibersek to use her powers under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act to issue a policy statement to guide offshore wind farms, known as OWFs.

This would include mandating upfront planning and turbine design to minimise seabird impact, urgent data collection, remote monitoring of seabird deaths and considering cumulative effects.

They warn that albatross, petrels and shearwaters have a vast foraging range, even careful site selection will not be enough.

They recommend a minimum blade height of 40m from the sea surface to allow albatross to fly under the turbines, and prioritising vertical axis wind turbines that reduce bird collisions.

Ms Beynon said it would be essential to leave large areas in offshore wind zones free of turbines and to develop remote monitoring, given that – unlike on land – birds killed by turbines would not be found.

Mr Brothers, who has spent more than 30 years working to reduce the impact of longline fishing on albatross, said it was vital the best engineering design and mitigation were employed before the industry developed.

“Putting everyday structures up in the pathway of albatross and other seabirds is a recipe for disaster,” he said.

“We know a lot about the vision capabilities of seabirds and they don’t sit well with fast-moving turbines, especially if they are operating close to the sea surface.

“Unless it’s done engineering-wise with those risks in mind from the outset, we are in for a very serious problem in the next 10 to 20 years with OWF development.

“If you don’t have that approach, you are definitely going to be dicing up albatrosses, petrels and other birds … in unsustainable numbers. They can also displace those birds from important foraging areas.”

He said the Australian government’s OWF zones appeared determined by access to transmission infrastructure.

“The most likely first place to be exploited in Australia is perhaps our most high-risk site – referred to as ‘off Gippsland coast’,” he said.

Painting some black and putting checkerboard patterns on infrastructure would help albatross see them.

Ms Plibersek did not respond, but her department pointed to existing environmental risk guidance for OWFs.

Ms Beynon said these were a “welcome start” but did not sufficiently address engineering design, blade height or vertical axis issues. Energy Minister Chris Bowen did not respond.

A Clean Energy Council spokesman said the industry was “working closely with governments and regulators to ensure robust … standards”.