BirdLife International and the Asia Development Bank launched their new eSensitivity mapping tool called AVISTEP (Avian Sensitivity Tool for Energy Planning) at the ADB Asia Clean Energy Forum on June 16th at 10 a.m. (GMT+8) with a live demonstration of the tool at 8 p.m. (GMT+8). This beta launch showcased how the open-access tool will help to identify locations of low sensitivity ideal for development as well as where renewable energy could impact birds and should therefore be avoided.
The global transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy presents an opportunity for positive change but, if poorly planned, could come at the expense of biodiversity. Renewable energy projects require large areas of land, and if developers only consider the availability of wind and solar resources, we could lose many millions of hectares of natural land- areas that store millions of tons of carbon and provide habitat to thousands of threatened species. BirdLife’s Tris Allinson, who has led the project, notes, “renewable energy is not truly ‘green’ unless efforts have been made to limit negative repercussions for biodiversity”.
The aim of AVISTEP is to prevent the unnecessary loss of bird and biodiversity during the expansion of renewable energy infrastructure. The open-access tool will help developers and regulators identify sites suitable for wind and solar energy and that are unlikely to negatively impact birds as well as areas that are highly sensitive and should be avoided.
To help create safer renewable energy development practices in Nepal, Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN) has been instrumental in guiding the development of AVISTEP. Through field surveys of birds and consultations with national stakeholders, BCN provided data on which bird species have high sensitivity to electric power line collisions and electrocution. Ishana Thapa, the CEO of Bird Conservation Nepal shares that “raptors and cranes, and especially the critically endangered vultures will be safeguarded by the use of AVISTEP.” She also shared about how this tool is at the forefront of current legislation, “In the context of Nepal, the government has recently developed and approved wildlife friendly infrastructure construction guideline hence the release of the tool will be very timely in supporting the implementation of this guideline.”
At the event BirdLife CEO, Patricia Zurita, joined a panel with V.B. Mathur, the Chairperson of the National Biodiversity Authority of India, and Bruce Dunn, the Director of Safeguards at ADB, to share how the tool can be utilised across the globe to aid the transition to renewable energy. The event held as a part of ADB’s 2022 Asia Clean Energy Forum in Manila rapped up with a demonstration of AVISTEP.
