The CMS Energy Task Force is a multi-stakeholder platform that works towards reconciling renewable energy developments with the conservation of migratory species.
Global energy demand is set to increase 30% by 2040. Meeting this demand while preventing global average temperature rise from exceeding 1.50C above pre-industrial levels ─ the goal of the Paris Climate Change Agreement and the IPCC ─ requires a substantial increase in the generation of renewable energy.
Deploying renewable energy instead of exploiting fossil fuels can benefit migratory species by helping to mitigate climate change. However, as with other infrastructure developments, the deployment of energy infrastructure can negatively impact species and their habitats when poorly planned.
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) recognise the need to integrate the conservation of migratory species across the energy sector and have adopted a number of resolutions and guidelines to this end. The CMS Energy Task Force was established in 2015 in accordance with Resolution 11.27 (Rev. COP13) Renewable Energy and Migratory Species to support the implementation of these resolutions and the use of relevant guidelines.
The CMS Energy Task Force brings together governments, multilateral environmental agreements, investors, the private sector and non-governmental organizations with an aim of avoiding and minimising negative impacts of energy developments on migratory species. We work to:
- promote and develop guidance and tools for the sustainable deployment or retrofitting of renewable energy technologies and powerlines,
- exchange and disseminate best practices for deploying energy infrastructure,
- provide recommendations on how best to respond to specific problems,
- deliver research to address knowledge gaps.
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MEMBERS OF THE ENERGY TASK FORCE |
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| Countries | ||
| Brazil | National Center for Bird Conservation and Research (CEMAVE) / Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) / Ministry of Environment of Brazil (MMA) |
Dr. Patricia Serafini Mr. Marcos de Souza Fialho |
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Bulgaria |
Ministry of Environment and Water | Ms. Rodostina Galitionova |
| Cyprus | Game & Fauna Services (GFS), Ministry of Interior |
Mr. Panicos Panayides Mr. Haris Hadjistyllis |
| Egypt | Ministry of Environment | Mr. Osama Ahmed Moustafa El-Gebaly |
| New & Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) | Mr. Mohamed Al-Khayat | |
| Ethiopia | Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority | Mr. Mihret Ewnetu Mulualem |
| France | Ministère de la transition écologique et solidaire | Mr. Michel Perret |
| Germany | Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety | Dr. Rudolf Specht |
| Ghana |
Forestry Commission/Wildlife Division |
Mr. Bernard Asamoah Boateng Mr. Musa Abu Juam |
| Greece | Ministry of Environment and Energy, General Secretariat of Natural Environment and Water | Dr. Charalampos Ververis |
| Hungary | Ministry of Agriculture | Mr. András Schmidt |
| Israel | Israel Nature and Parks Authority | Mr. Noam Leader |
| Jordan | Ministry of Environment | Eng. Raed Bani Hani |
| Kenya | Ministry of Environment | Mr. Stephen M. Manegene |
| Morocco | High Commission for Water and Forests and the Fight against Desertification |
Ms. Samira Ouhabi Ms. Latifa Sikli |
| Nigeria | Ministry of Environment | Ms. Hadiza Elayo Mr. Ayuba Turman Bakut |
| Saudi Arabia | Saudi Wildlife Authority | Pr. Mohammad Shobrak Mr. Fawaz Albaroudi |
| South Africa | Ministry of Environment | Ms. Wilma Lutsch |
| Spain | Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) | Dr. Borja Heredia |
| Government Agencies | ||
| Power Africa -USAID | Ms. Lauren Russel | |
| US Geological Survey | Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center | Dr. James (Jay) Diffendorfer |
| Secretariats of Relevant MEAs | ||
| AEWA Secretariat | Dr. Jacques Trouvilliez Mr. Sergey Dereliev |
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| AEWA Technical Committee | Ms. Maria Dias | |
| CMS Secretariat | Dr. Iván Ramírez | |
| CMS Raptors MOU Coordinating Unit | Dr. Umberto Gallo-Orsi | |
| EUROBATS Secretariat | Mr. Andreas Streit | |
| CBD Secretariat | Mr. Oliver Hillel | |
| Ramsar Convention Secretariat | Ms. Maria Rivera | |
| Other Relevant Organizations and Institutions | ||
| African Development Bank (AfDB) |
Dr. Maman-Sani Issa Dr. Osric Tening Forton |
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| African Union | Mr. Rashid Ali Abdallah Dr. Haruna Kachalla Gujba |
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| African Sustainable Energy Association | Mr. Chris Edeh | |
| Birdlife International |
Dr. Rhiannon Niven Mr. Tris Allinson |
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| British Trust for Ornithology | Dr. James Pearce-Higgins Mr. Chris Thaxter |
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| East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership | Ms. Hyeseon Do | |
| Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) |
Mr. Willem Constantyn Hoogstad Mr. Oscar Mohale |
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| European Bank of Reconstruction and Development | Mr. Robert Adamczyk | |
| International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank Group | Ms. Lori Anna Conzo | |
| IRENA | Dr. Ute Collier | |
| Renewables Grid Initiative | Mr. Andrew Carryer | |
| WindEurope | Mr. Mattia Cecchinato | |
| World Bank | Mr. Peter Moore | |
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OBSERVERS |
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| American Bird Conservancy (ABC) |
Mr. Joel Merriman Ms. Amy Upgren |
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| Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK) | Ms. Vera Voronova | |
| Birdlife South Africa | Ms. Samantha Ralston Paton | |
| China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation |
Dr. Zhou Jinfeng Ms. Linda Wong |
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| EuroNatur |
Mr. Stefan Ferger Ms. Ilka Beermann |
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| Groupe de Recherche pour la Protection des Oiseaux au Maroc (GREPOM/BirdLife Morocco) |
Ms. Khadija Bourass Mr. Mohammed Ameziane |
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| Nature Kenya | Dr. Paul Matiku Ms. Serah Munguti Mr. Paul Gacheru |
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| Nature Conservation Egypt (NCE) | Mr. Khaled El Noby | |
| Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) | Ms. Carla Freund |
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| Hellenic Ornithological Society (HOS) | Mr. Tsiopelas Nikos | |
| Macedonian Ecological Society (MES) | Ms. Danka Uzunova | |
| The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, Jordan (RSCN) | Mr. Tareq Qaneer | |
| International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey (IAF) | Mr. Janusz Sielicki | |
| ORÉE |
Ms. Hélène Leriche Ms. Lisa Devignol |
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| Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE) | Mr. Ashraf Kraidy | |
| IUCN - Mediterranean Center |
Ms. Catherine Numa Ms. Helena Clavero |
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| Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) | Dr. Rodrigo Medellin | |
| Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society |
Mr. Mengistu Wondafrash Mr. Mekonnen Biru |
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| The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) |
Ms. Helen Quayle Ms. Isobel Morris |
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| Sociedade para Conservação das Aves do Brasil (SAVE-Brasil) | Ms. Raquel Cavalho | |
| Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) |
Ms. Bassima Khatib Mr. Elie El Haddad |
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| South African Bat Assessment Association (SABAA) |
Ms. Eleanor Richardson Dr. Caroline Lötter |
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| UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) |
Ms. Rowana Walton Dr. Sebastian Dunnett |
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EFT Documents:
Key Resolutions:
- Renewable energy and migratory species [UNEP/CMS/Resolution 11.27 (Rev.COP13)]
- Addressing impacts of renewable energy deployment on migratory waterbirds [UNEP/AEWA/Resolution 6.11]
- Power lines and migratory birds [UNEP/CMS/Resolution 10.11 (Rev.COP13)]
- Power lines and migratory waterbirds [UNEP/AEWA/Resolution 5.11]
Studies/Publications
- What are governments doing to reconcile the deployment of renewable energy and powerlines with the conservation of migratory species of wild animals?
- Biodiversité intégrée dans les territoires et les politiques/The LIFE BTP project "Biodiversity integrated into territories and policies"
Wind Turbines:
- Thaxter et al 2017 Bird and bat global vulnerability to collision mortality at wind farms
- Wildlife and wind farms: Conflicts and solutions
- Assessing the impacts of wind farms on birds
- Reconciling biodiversity conservation and widespread deployment of renewable energy technologies in the UK
- Windfarms and birds : An analysis of the effects of windfarms on birds, and guidance on environmental assessment criteria and site selection issues
- Assessing the cumulative exposure of wildlife to offshore wind energy development
- Assessing vulnerability of marine bird populations to offshore wind farms
- Wind turbine interactions with wildlife and their habitats
- Fatalities at wind turbines may threaten population viability of a migratory bat
Power Lines:
- The state of the art in raptor electrocution research: A global review
- Bird collisions with power lines: State of the art and priority areas for research
- Bird collisions with power lines: Prioritizing species and areas by estimating potential population‐level impacts
- Using risk prediction models and species sensitivity maps for large-scale identification of infrastructure-related wildlife protection areas: The case of bird electrocution
- Bird on the wire: Landscape planning considering costs and benefits for bird populations coexisting with power lines
- Avian collisions with power lines: a global review of causes and mitigation with a South African perspective
- Policy measures to address bird interactions with power lines – a comparative case study of four countries
- Birds and power lines: From conflict to solution
- Quick guidance preventing electrocution on birds
- Better utilisation and transparency of bird data collected by powerline companies
- Guidelines for preventing and mitigating wildlife mortality associated with electricity distribution networks
Case studies:
- Powerlines and Bird Reporting Portal – Germany
- Retrofitting Powerlines for Saker Falcons in Mongolia
- Towards bird-friendly powerlines in Egypt
- Regional wind farm planning in Jordan
- Strategic environmental assessment in Kenya
- Mainstreaming best practice guidelines for assessing and monitoring impacts on birds at wind energy facilities in South Africa
- Bridging the science-implementation gap – South Africa
Guidelines:
- Post-construction Bird and Bat Fatality Monitoring for Onshore Wind Energy Facilities in Emerging Market Countries
- Sustainable deployment of renewable energy technologies and power lines: Avoiding and mitigating negative impacts on biodiversity
- Renewable energy technologies and migratory species: Guidelines for sustainable deployment [UNEP/CMS/COP11/Doc.23.4.3.2]
- Guidelines on how to avoid or mitigate impact of electricity power grids on migratory birds in the African-Eurasian region [Technical Series / CMS 29 / AEWA 50 / CMS Raptors MOU 3]
- Guidelines for consideration of bats in wind farm projects [EUROBATS Publication Series No. 6]
- Guidance on energy transmission infrastructure and EU nature legislation
- BirdLife International: Renewable energy and safeguard policies
- Mitigating biodiversity impacts associated with solar and wind energy development: guidelines for project developers
- Guidelines for best practice on mitigating impacts of infrastructure development and afforestation on the Great Bustard
- ETF Webinar: Offshore wind: new developments and lessons learned (Oct. 2022)
- ETF Webinar: Energy Developments and Migratory Birds in the Americas (Oct. 2022)
- ETF webinar, December 2020
- 100 Days until the UN conference on migratory species starts in India
- BirdLife South Africa halts plans for dangerous wind farm
- Location, location, location: how to reduce bird collisions
- Partners come together to discuss plans for the Migratory Soaring Birds Project
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Useful Links
ETF Online Workspace
Energy Developments and Migratory BirdsSide Event MENA Climate Week, 29 March 20226th ETF Meeting, VirtualSide Event UNFCCC COP26, 9 Nov 2021Webinar, 2 Dec 20205th ETF Meeting, VirtualETF August 2020 Virtual Meeting4th ETF Meeting, Paris, France 3rd ETF Meeting, Sharm El Sheik, Egypt 2nd ETF Meeting, Bonn, Germany 1st ETF Meeting, Cape Town, SA
The Government of India, through the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change were recognized as Champion Plus for their generous support and commitment towards Making energy safe for wildlife for the period 2020-2023. The operations of the Energy Task Force have been funded with the contribution granted by India under the Migratory Species Champion Programme.
