PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The project area is located on the Via Pontica flyway which, after the Via Gibraltar, is the most important migration route for the European birds. The area is a bottleneck migration site for the migrating and soaring birds from Northern, Eastern and Central Europe (up to 240,000 storks and 60,000 raptors). It is the site of largest concentrations of migrating White and Dalmatian pelicans and Red-footed falcons in Europe, and the second largest for the Lesser Spotted Eagle. The area is among the favourite night roosts for pelicans and storks between the Danube Delta and the Bosporus. The annual number of bird species in the Burgas Lakes varies from 165,000 to 502,847 birds per annum. The highest total annual waterfowl number in Burgas Lakes, 502,900 individuals, is recorded in the year 2000. If the migrating twice a year pelicans and storks (about 250,000) soaring in the area are added to this number, then the total number will reach 1 million. One of the main threats to birds in the Burgas Lakes is the high mortality rate caused by electrocution when the birds perch on a hazardous electric pole, and by collision with overhead wires. The risk is particularly high for large birds with a wingspan of more than 2m, such as eagles and storks, which are numerous during migration and are among the most common victims of electrocution. The high concentration of migratory, wintering and nesting birds in the lakes and the adjoining seacoast, together with the lack of natural substrates for roosting, determine the frequent use of electricity poles by birds, which leads to higher mortality from electrocution compared to inland areas. Particularly risky for birds are the migration periods when there are huge flocks of migratory birds, and the winter months when tens of thousands of geese and ducks spend the winter in the lakes. During these periods, many birds fall victim to collisions with overhead wires. The death toll is particularly high in areas where several parallel power lines run between freshwater lakes and the sea, or between lakes and meadows, i.e. on the way of birds between feeding and roosting sites. The length of the risky aerial power lines around Burgas is +1,000 km, with +10,000 hazardous poles. There are no specific surveys but, according to experts, they kill between 15,000 and 150,000 birds die each year in the project area. Many birds tagged with satellite transmitters and rings in other EU countries, such as White Storks from Germany or Poland and pelicans from Romania, have been found dead under the described power lines. This is why the issue exceeds by far the national borders of Bulgaria and is of general importance for the EU countries whose birds migrate or winter in the project area. This is first of all a conservation problem, but it is also a socio-economic issue because the collisions cause network failures and power outage in settlements, which result in economic losses and additional CO2 emissions. So far, only 14 km of power lines have been secured in the area under the BSPB project LIFE08 NAT/BG/000277. EP Yug has also secured 8 km of lines, but this is much below the goal of achieving complete bird safety.
OBJECTIVES
The long-term goal of the LIFE Safe Grid for Burgas project is to preserve the breeding, wintering and migrating populations of bird species threatened on EU level by reducing unnatural mortality caused by electric infrastructure. Thus, the project is contributing to the aim of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to halt the loss of biodiversity: a core part of the European Green Deal. The project will contribute to the long-term goal by achieving the following 7 objectives:
- Identify the risky medium-voltage power lines inside and nearby the project area.
- Halt unnatural mortality of the target bird species through replacing overhead electricity lines with underground cable lines in the most important sectors in and between the target SPAs.
- Prevent unnatural bird mortality as a result of electrocution by insulation of hazardouselectricity pylons.
- Significantly reduce unnatural bird mortality as a result of collision with aerial conductorsby installing “bird diverters” on power lines.
- Reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions as a result of reduced grid maintenance.
- Transfer/replication techniques developed and/or applied by the project, on national and EU level.
- Increase public and stakeholder support in solving the conflict between wild birds and power lines, and promote mutual benefits for biodiversity and people.
With the above objectives and expected results, the project is directly relevant to the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030, the LIFE Regulation Annex III, the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC, the Birds Directive 2009/147/EC, and the European Grid Declaration on Electricity Network Development and Nature Conservation in Europe. Several national and international Action Plans for conservation of priority bird species are also in compliance with the project. In addition, the project is indirectly relevant to Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality & cleaner air for Europe.
RESULTS
Expected results:
The project is committed to save between 15 000 and 150 000 birds per year in the project area as a result of prevented electrocution and collision with wires and poles. The expected results from the implementation of project actions, clustered by objective, are as follows:
1: a GIS database and a map of areas of potential conflict between the target species and the power lines inside the N2K sites and along the corridors between them; a detailed report with analysis of the field survey results and a map of power lines of highest priority for retrofitting; a detailed plan of the underground cable routes that shall replace the most hazardous overhead power lines; detailed technical specifications, construction plans and permits for the new underground cable lines.
2: 58 km of overhead power lines dismantled and replaced with ca. 52 km of underground cables, thus fully removing the threat of electrocution and collision among wild birds in the project area.
3: 200 km of overhead power lines retrofitted by insulation of 1 600 pin type pylons and 400 metal frame type pylons, with no electrocuted birds recorded along these priority sections afterwards.
4: 75 km of aerial conductors (25 km of triple power lines) in priority areas fitted with 2,000 bird diverters, with bird-collision risks reduced by up to 90% afterwards.
5: reduced amount of greenhouse gases emissions as a result of reduced needs of electric grid maintenance, as follows: 2.16 tons of CO2/year or 10.8 tons for 5 years; 0.0015 tons of NOx/year or 0.0075 tons for 5 years; 0.00006 tons of PM/year or 0.0003 tons for 5 years.
6: contacts established and knowledge/experience shared with all LIFE and non-LIFE projects in Bulgaria and EU that are aimed at mitigation of conflicts between wild birds and overhead electric power infrastructure; the best available technical solutions for securing the risky power lines presented in a technical prospectus distributed among key stakeholders and potential users in Bulgaria and the EU.
7:at least 50 000 people per annum informed via the Internet presence of the project; relevant state authorities and 36 EVN regional structures in 32 municipal cities informed about the project methods and become supportive to the project; and 10 information boards installed.
