We need a revolution in the deployment of renewable energy – if we’re to tackle the twin crises of climate change and the loss of nature (the real meaning behind that clunky word ‘biodiversity’) then we need to revolutionise our approach to enable the right renewables in the right place. This is, by no means, an issue only for the UK.
A new legal warning issued by the European Commission to the Bulgarian government brings new hope that coastal areas on the Black Sea, key for wintering red-breasted geese and migrating storks, could get the protection they deserve.
The dramatic Black Sea coast in Bulgaria (Picture BSPB)
As I’ve previously told you, our colleagues from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) have been working hard to provide extra information on the damage that is being done to the Kaliakra Peninsula on the Black Sea coast. Following much lobbying of Environment Commissioner Potocnik and his officials by RSPB and BSPB staff, the Commission have now issued a new legal warning to Bulgaria, demanding that they protect Kaliakra by fully designating it as a protected area, and making good the damage done by wind energy and tourism development to this and neighbouring sites.
This new warning strengthens the legal case against Bulgaria and conservationists will be pressing the Commission to progress the case to the European Court of Justice as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, the threats keep piling up – a new windfarm is being proposed near to the Durankulak Lake Protected Area, just north of Kaliakra. This site holds the largest wintering population of red-breasted geese in the world, a globally threatened species. Not a great place for a large windfarm, which could exclude birds from their feeding areas and provide a collision risk. BSPB is currently working for the government on a sensitivity map for birds which should help guide wind energy development to the best places in Bulgaria and away from these incredibly important sites for birds. In the meantime, we’ve added this proposal to the list of those that the Bulgarian government should be rejecting out of hand.
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