A comment on "bats killed in large numbers at United States wind energy facilities"
BioScience
By: Manuela M.P. Huso and Dan Dalthorp
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Abstract
Widespread reports of bat fatalities caused by wind turbines have raised concerns about the impacts of wind power development. Reliable
estimates of the total number killed and the potential effects on populations are needed, but it is crucial that they be based on sound data. In a
recent BioScience article, Hayes (2013) estimated that over 600,000 bats were killed at wind turbines in the United States in 2012. The scientific
errors in the analysis are numerous, with the two most serious being that the included sites constituted a convenience sample, not a representative
sample, and that the individual site estimates are derived from such different methodologies that they are inherently not comparable. This
estimate is almost certainly inaccurate, but whether the actual number is much smaller, much larger, or about the same is uncertain. An accurate
estimate of total bat fatality is not currently possible, given the shortcomings of the available data.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | A comment on "bats killed in large numbers at United States wind energy facilities" |
| Series title | BioScience |
| DOI | 10.1093/biosci/biu056 |
| Volume | 64 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Year Published | 2014 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Contributing office(s) | Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Contaminant Biology Program |
| Description | 2 p. |
| First page | 546 |
| Last page | 547 |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |