Project | SafeLines4Birds

White stork © Vincent Palomarès_edited.jpg

Our Mission

Importance of the Project

Collisions with power lines, electrocutions, and disturbances during the breeding season are major threats to certain bird species. These threats cause the deaths of millions of individuals in Europe each year and in some cases seriously threaten the viability of species populations.

SafeLines4Birds’ goal is to reduce the non-natural mortality of 13 representative bird species along power lines in France, Belgium, and Portugal.

To reduce bird mortality we focus on 4 objectives

Reducing bird collision

The potential for collisions with power lines depends on factors such as the bird's perception of the conductor or earth wire, its ability to navigate around them, and various species-specific, site-specific, and power line-specific considerations. Incidents of collision can occur on both distribution and transmission electricity grids.

Reducing bird electrocution

Electrocution occurs when a bird touches two-phase conductors or one conductor and an earthed device and creates an arc. Due to the shorter distances between components, this is more of an issue on the medium and low voltage grids.

Reducing bird disturbance

Disturbance during the maintenance of the grid, including painting and construction, can interfere with bird activities such as breeding. This may result in poor reproduction and nest abandonment of some species.

Improving & sharing knowledge

Effective collaborations among relevant stakeholders is essential for enhancing bird protection along the grid. It enables the exchange of valuable insights, experiences, and best practices, fostering the development and implementation of protective measures.

Target Species

Some protected European species are more vulnerable to electrocution and collision due to their morphology, behavior, and distribution. Thus, the following 13 species are project’s priority species for the mitigation of power line impacts.