977ecc865211479b986301d84a64eb2c English series COWRIE Secretariat COWRIE 01635550380 01635550230 c/o Nature Bureau International 36 Kingfisher Court Hambridge Road Newbury RG14 5SJ cowrie@offshorewind.co.uk www.offshorewindfarms.co.uk pointOfContact 2009-08-25 MEDIN Discovery Metadata Standard Version 2.3.5 urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::4326 OGP 2009, COWRIE, Revised Best Practice Guidance for the Use of Remote Techniques for Ornithological Monitoring at Offshore Windfarms 2009-06-01 publication 2009-06-01 creation 3935 http://data.offshorewind.co.uk/ This COWRIE report updates the Desholm et al. (2005) document on the use of remote techniques for ornithlogical monitoring for offshore windfarm studies. However, Desholm et al. (2005) did not provide offshore windfarm developers with clear and practical guidance on the ‘best practice’ application of remote techniques for effectively observing the behaviour of target bird species. In the UK, ‘best practice’ guidance to highlight appropriate remote techniques for assessing behaviour of individual target species, or groups of species, has been much needed. Consequently, the implementation of remote techniques in ornithological assessments within Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) was variable during Round 1 (R1) and Round 2 (R2) in the UK.The aim of this report was not to re-iterate technical information contained within the original COWRIE report but to provide clear ‘best practice’ guidance. Our aim is to ensure that this guidance is applicable for ornithological assessments made within the planning and EIA process for the STWR and R3in the UK. The Crown Estate +44 020 7851 5000 16 New Burlington Place London W1S 2HX United Kingdom enquiries@thecrownestate.co.uk http://www.thecrownestate.co.uk custodian Richard Walls and Chris Pendlebury RPS Group +44 (0) 131 555 5011 Ocean Point One, 4th Floor Edinburgh EH6 6JH United Kingdom wallsr@rpsgroup.com chris.pendlebury@rpsgroup.com http://www.rpsgroup.com/ originator Kate Brookes and Paul Thompson University of Aberdeen, School of Biological Sciences +44 (0)1224 272861 +44 (0)1224 272396 Zoology Building, Tillydrone Avenue Aberdeen Aberdeenshire AB24 2TZ United Kingdom k.brookes@abdn.ac.uk lighthouse@abdn.ac.uk http://www.abdn.ac.uk/biologicalsci/ originator notPlanned PDF Marine Environmental Data and Information Network Metadata record availability 2012-01-11T07:46:54 revision Research The Crown Estate Renewable Energy Development Phases 2012-05-15T02:00:03 revision Research and Development Activity The Crown Estate Renewable Energy Development Areas 2012-05-15 revision 1 Bird counts Bird taxonomy-related abundance per unit area of surface Bird behaviour SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary 2017-10-18 revision 104 copyright otherRestrictions copyright otherRestrictions http://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk/pages/terms-of-use.aspx http://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk/pages/terms-of-use.aspx eng biota environment -9.33312855790775 2.68743327033997 49.0399981037863 60.7672028638749 2009-06 2009-06 http://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk/search?q=#fq=fq%3DProject%253Amdecowrie0016 download https://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk/details/240/summary A link to the web service or dataset. https://www.marinedataexchange.co.uk A link to the general host site. dataset Remote techniques as defined in Section 2 of this report have the potential to provide a robust and valuable role for bird monitoring at offshore windfarms. However, they are only part of the solution in terms of effective monitoring in a scientifically rigorous and integrated manner. It is important that they are neither regarded as default techniques nor, alternatively, as methods to be ignored by developers because of their apparent novelty or cost. Remote techniques should be integrated effectively with existing methods to enable timely and comprehensive EIA as well as pre and post construction monitoring. In particular, they offer much utility for collecting data that other techniques simply cannot accomplish. Issues surrounding mass movements in low visibility, darkness and over large spatial scales or temporal periods can all be overcome by remote techniques. Tagging studies can provide direct individual based data from birds from which to refine understanding of potential impacts, enabling better-informed assessments. The consortium has been keen to stress the importance of an integrated approach to all bird monitoring at offshore windfarms (through an IOMP concept) as part of the STWR and R3 process. Therefore, dependent on the location of the proposed site/zone and the bird species present (and the behaviours which may place them at risk from the presence of an offshore windfarm), remote techniques have a particular role to play. The integrated monitoring requirements for a site or zone can be usefully mapped out within the simple framework (Section 2.4) proposed by the consortium, in order to determine the contribution which remote techniques can make to the overall ornithological assessment. Remote techniques should always be viewed as complementary to, rather than a replacement of standard survey techniques (notably aerial and boat-based surveying) and modelling (e.g. population viability analysis, collision risks analysis etc.).