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Mapping the sensitivity of Lesotho's avifauna to wind farm developments
Anthropogenically induced climate change, coupled with the volatility of world oil markets, has accelerated the global implementation of a variety of renewable energy technologies (RETs). The southern African nation of Lesotho aims to utilise its aeolian resources by harnessing the power of the wind...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
2016
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| _version_ | 1867613224547909632 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Sands, Dara |
| author2 | Simmons, Rob |
| author_browse | Sands, Dara Simmons, Rob |
| author_facet | Simmons, Rob Sands, Dara |
| author_sort | Sands, Dara |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Anthropogenically induced climate change, coupled with the volatility of world oil markets, has accelerated the global implementation of a variety of renewable energy technologies (RETs). The southern African nation of Lesotho aims to utilise its aeolian resources by harnessing the power of the wind through the development of wind farms. The Lesotho government has approved the development of a 42 turbine wind farm in the Maluti-Drakensberg in north-eastern Lesotho. The development of a wind farm in this area is predicted to result in significant negative impacts on globally important populations of Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus and Cape Vulture Gyps coprotheres, in addition to six other red-listed species, including Black Stork Ciconia nigra and Southern Bald Ibis Geronticus calvus. Concern over the impacts of wind farms on Lesotho's avifauna has resulted in calls for the development of an avian sensitivity map. Sensitivity maps have been developed in many countries, including South Africa, in order to provide locational guidance for the siting of wind farms and indicate areas where the development of wind farms could potentially result in negative impacts on sensitive bird species. This study has developed an avian sensitivity map for Lesotho by creating a species sensitivity index to determine the potential sensitivity of Lesotho's avifauna to wind farms and then mapping the distributions of 14 bird species considered most at risk to identify areas of "medium", "high", "very high", "maximum" and"unknown" senstivity. Individual species maps were converted to 1-km square resolution allowing for a Composite scoring map, selecting the highest sensitivity score for each square, and a Cumulative scoring map, summing all sensitivity score within each square, to be created. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/19984 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:32:44.899Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publishDateRange | 2016 |
| publishDateSort | 2016 |
| publisher | Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology |
| publisherStr | Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/19984 Mapping the sensitivity of Lesotho's avifauna to wind farm developments Sands, Dara Simmons, Rob Ralston, Samantha Amar, Arjun McGuinness, Shane Conservation Biology Anthropogenically induced climate change, coupled with the volatility of world oil markets, has accelerated the global implementation of a variety of renewable energy technologies (RETs). The southern African nation of Lesotho aims to utilise its aeolian resources by harnessing the power of the wind through the development of wind farms. The Lesotho government has approved the development of a 42 turbine wind farm in the Maluti-Drakensberg in north-eastern Lesotho. The development of a wind farm in this area is predicted to result in significant negative impacts on globally important populations of Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus and Cape Vulture Gyps coprotheres, in addition to six other red-listed species, including Black Stork Ciconia nigra and Southern Bald Ibis Geronticus calvus. Concern over the impacts of wind farms on Lesotho's avifauna has resulted in calls for the development of an avian sensitivity map. Sensitivity maps have been developed in many countries, including South Africa, in order to provide locational guidance for the siting of wind farms and indicate areas where the development of wind farms could potentially result in negative impacts on sensitive bird species. This study has developed an avian sensitivity map for Lesotho by creating a species sensitivity index to determine the potential sensitivity of Lesotho's avifauna to wind farms and then mapping the distributions of 14 bird species considered most at risk to identify areas of "medium", "high", "very high", "maximum" and"unknown" senstivity. Individual species maps were converted to 1-km square resolution allowing for a Composite scoring map, selecting the highest sensitivity score for each square, and a Cumulative scoring map, summing all sensitivity score within each square, to be created. 2016-06-10T07:30:13Z 2016-06-10T07:30:13Z 2015 Master Thesis Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19984 eng application/pdf Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology Faculty of Science University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Conservation Biology Sands, Dara Mapping the sensitivity of Lesotho's avifauna to wind farm developments |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Mapping the sensitivity of Lesotho's avifauna to wind farm developments |
| title_full | Mapping the sensitivity of Lesotho's avifauna to wind farm developments |
| title_fullStr | Mapping the sensitivity of Lesotho's avifauna to wind farm developments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mapping the sensitivity of Lesotho's avifauna to wind farm developments |
| title_short | Mapping the sensitivity of Lesotho's avifauna to wind farm developments |
| title_sort | mapping the sensitivity of lesotho s avifauna to wind farm developments |
| topic | Conservation Biology |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/19984 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sandsdara mappingthesensitivityoflesothosavifaunatowindfarmdevelopments |