To protect bats, wind turbines must be operated in accordance with shutdown requirements. The so-called significance threshold determines how many dead bats per wind turbine and year are considered tolerable. In 2024, a BfN publication was released in which experts, drawing on specialist literature, administrative regulations and court rulings, developed a draft methodology for deriving the significance threshold. In 2024, a BfN publication was released in which experts, drawing on specialist literature, administrative regulations and court rulings, developed a draft framework for determining the significance threshold. A uniform national threshold of less than one animal per facility per year on average is proposed. According to the experts, this is the only way to prevent potential negative impacts on the sensitive populations of certain bat species.
Given its significant relevance to nature conservation, an English version is now available:
Technical recommendation for a nationwide significance threshold for bats – assessment of the current significance threshold for bats and wind turbines. Markus Dietz, Anja Fritzsche, Adrian Johst, Nina Ruhl. BfN-Schriften 764, Bonn, 2026.
Download