Activity A3.2 “Site visit in Dundanga’s wind farm and workshop” of the BIOWIND project foresees the organization of an interregional workshop to exchange experience and discuss the common challenges and gaps in policies that inhibit community engagement during the different phases of wind energy projects and to elaborate ideas on policy measures that could foster civic participation in wind energy projects. The workshop was organized by the Zemgale Planning Region (ZPR) and took place from 20-21 February 2024 in Jelgava, Latvia. From the UPAT side, one team member attended the event, Ms. Eirini Stergiou, postdoc researcher.
On Thursday 26/03/2024, the UPAT team organized an internal debriefing meeting where Ms. Eirini Stergiou informed the remaining UPAT team members (that could not attend the workshop) about the discussions that took place during the A3.2 workshop. She mentioned that during the workshop, the participants were able to identify some important aspects for the environmental plan and effective systems for biodiversity monitoring, such as:
• the biodiversity concerns when planning, building and operating wind farms
• the challenges of assessing the impact of wind farms on natural values and mitigation planning
• the impacts of wind power on (endangered species) birds and bats
• The role of effective approaches for biodiversity conservation in wind farms and their impact on biodiversity
In addition, Ms. Stergiou briefly presented the main points of the presentations that took place during the workshop and explained the main findings and recommendations of the roundtable discussions that followed the presentations. Such recommendations include: (a) the need of public and private sector to identify the possible threats for biodiversity by taking into account the flora and fauna of the specific area/region, (b) the importance of early warning systems and the necessity of policies at a national/regional level to promote them (c) the importance of improving data analysis and modelling tools to provide more accurate/informative assessments and Synergies between NGOs and wind farm developers for more efficient monitoring.
