Our partner the Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI) has released a new brochure showcasing the power of collaboration in building a resilient, bird-friendly electricity grid. Through meaningful partnerships across sectors, stakeholders – grid operators, NGOs, and academia – can drive innovative solutions that support the energy transition while protecting biodiversity.
The brochure highlights how such partnerships enable stakeholders to:
Share expertise and exchange valuable knowledge.
Access resources to support groundbreaking research.
Improve infrastructure planning and evaluate mitigation measures.
Build trust, foster collaboration, and send a positive message to society.
Four Pillars of collaboration
The brochure outlines four types of successful partnerships, demonstrating how collaboration can balance the energy transition with bird conservation.
1. Multi-Sector partnerships
Cross-sector collaborations between government, civil society, industry, and academia provide practical solutions to address biodiversity, energy, and climate challenges. By aligning diverse goals, grid operators can reduce bird mortality and enhance public trust. Examples include France's the Comité National Avifaune (CNA), Portugal's Avifauna Protocols, and RGI's initiatives across Europe.
2. Innovation and Research
By partnering with research institutions, grid operators can combine bird biology expertise with grid technology to foster innovation. These collaborations streamline resources and scale the impact of research. Success stories featured include Portugal's REN-BIOPOLIS Partnership, our project SafeLines4Birds and the LIFE Danube Free Sky project.
3. Joint data collection
Pooling data on bird presence and mortality enables targeted investments, better grid planning and prioritisation of mitigation efforts. Open data-sharing platforms, such as Germany’s NABU Bird portal and France’s ‘Avifaune et Câbles’ web application, are great examples of successful initiatives.
4. Sensitivity mapping
Collaborative bird sensitivity maps help grid operators plan infrastructure that avoids sensitive habitats. By overlaying ecological and grid route data, these maps pinpoint areas where mitigation measures are most needed and thus, reduce costs. Examples include Hungary’s Accessible Sky Agreement and Belgium’s bird risk maps.
Inspiring actions
This new SafeLines4Birds brochure demonstrates how partnerships between industry, civil society, and academia can drive meaningful change, inspiring stakeholders to adopt similar approaches to overcome shared challenges.
Explore the full brochure to discover practical solutions for reconciling the energy transition with bird conservation.