1. FEATHERS2016 IN REVIEW
Photocredits:MeganDiamond&AndrewJenkins
• Compiled specialist studies for twenty projects across seven of South Africa’s
nine provinces and assisted Chris van Rooyen Consulting with a power line
project in Mozambique.
• Participated in four power line walk-downs totalling 340 kilometres and
compiled site specific construction and operational environmental
management programme reports for each of these projects, detailing the
mitigation requirements for potential avifaunal impacts associated with the
construction and operational lifespan of the power lines.
• Conducted an avian sensitivity survey in collaboration with AVISENSE
Consulting for a proposed wind energy development in the Western Cape.
The key objective was to alert the developer to the presence of important local
populations of cliff-nesting birds, including a number of already threatened
& impact sensitive species in the vicinity of the planned wind farm, and to
assess the possible significance of negative impacts on these populations
should the wind farm proceed to construction and operation.
• Subcontracted to Golder Associates Africa (Pty) Ltd in the role of avifaunal
specialist, to provide a detailed review of the avifaunal impact assessment
report for a wind farm development in KwaZulu Natal.
• Invited to be a member of the IUCN Stork, Ibis and Spoonbill Specialist
Group, as a birds and energy infrastructure subject expert.
• Participated in an avifauna and power lines stakeholder workshop, hosted
by the Eskom/EWT Strategic Partnership, to discuss the ongoing bird mortalities
on Eskom infrastructure and the pro-active mitigation approach that the
Partnership will be implementing in an effort to greatly reduce the number of
bird mortalities on power lines across South Africa.