The Journal is published by the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic in cooperation with the Cave Administration of the Czech Republic, the Krkonoše Mts. National Park Administration, the Bohemian Forest Mts. National Park Administration, the Podyjí National Park Administration and the The Bohemian Switzerland National Park Administration. It has been published since 1946.
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Nature Conservation 5/2012 — 27. 2. 2013 — Nature and Landscape Management — Print article in pdf
Hlaváč V., Koubová M. & Neuwirthová H.: Protection of Birds against High Voltage Lines. Is There a S
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The Czech Republic is cut across by 70,000 kilometres of high voltage overhead transmission and distribution power lines. The transmission system also includes more than 750,000 transmission towers and electricity pylons.
Overhead power lines affect birds by injuring and killing them on unsuitable high voltage utilities resulting from causing short circuits (short circuit between energised wires, or short-to-ground) or by collision into the cables of power lines. The article pays special attention to protection of birds against injuries caused by electric power. Discharge is caused by connecting a wire and a curtain rod or connecting two wires by a bird body. Due to unsuitable technologies, most of the utilities are fatally dangerous particularly for medium-size and large birds including rare and threatened species, e.g. the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), Peregrine (F. peregrinus), Saker (F. cherrug) or the Red Kite (Milvus milvus). Power lines passing through the open landscape and through sites of higher bird accumulation are extremely dangerous. Since 1980, preventive measures against electrocution, e.g. installing protective utilities or developing new designs have been applied in the Czech Republic. Pursuant to the national legislation, a transmission system operator is obliged to implement technological measures to protect birds on new, existing or renewed high voltage transmission utilities by June 6, 2024. In collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic, the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic (NCA CR) deals with the topic both technically and by making every effort to closely co-operate with main electric energy distributors in the country. Particularly due to activities carried out by E.ON Distribuce, Ltd. suppliers had been called to develop new safe technologies for all the types of transmission towers and electricity pylons. New proposals from some of them helped to make energy distribution utilities safer and the NCA CR could issue its preliminary recommendations on the technologies. These products may be considered as a considerable progress in protection of birds on high voltage overhead transmission power lines. The authors believe that due to active collaboration between the State Nature Conservancy authorities and electric energy distributors, proper attention will be given to the issue and the current positive trend will be soon reflected by decline in numbers of birds killed on electric transmission lines.