Thematic focus
The thematic focus this year was on the question of how nature conservation and species protection concerns can be adequately taken into account despite the many initiatives to speed up planning and authorisation procedures in the area of wind energy use. With the aim of speeding up the planning process for onshore wind energy, comprehensive legal changes have been introduced that also affect how nature conservation concerns are dealt with in the procedures. In particular, the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), the Federal Nature Conservation Act (BNatSchG), the ordinance establishing a framework for the accelerated expansion of the use of renewable energies, the Wind Energy Area Requirements Act (WindBG) and the amended Directive on the Promotion of the Use of Energy from Renewable Sources (RED II) should be mentioned here.
Discussants
Following the welcome and introduction by BfN President Sabine Riewenherm, two keynote speeches by Dr Matthias Proske (Regionalverband Mittlerer Oberrhein, Baden-Württemberg) and Monika Agatz (Borken district, North Rhine-Westphalia) outlined the particular challenges at the planning and approval levels. These challenges were highlighted and explored in greater depth from different perspectives in the subsequent panel discussion. The panel consisted of Kathrin Ammermann (BfN, Head of Division II 4.3 Nature Conservation and Renewable Energies), Michael Heugel (BMUV, Head of Division N II 1 Nature Conservation and Landscape Management Law), Markus Pauly (JUWI GmbH, Head of Department Project Development Experts), Magnus Wessel (BUND e. V., Head of Nature Conservation Policy) and the two speakers Dr Matthias Proske and Monika Agatz. The moderator was Dr Tanja Busse, author and specialist journalist, who also fielded questions from the auditorium in the room and the participants connected online. The key topics of the two-and-a-half-hour expert discussion were summarised at the end by Dr Alfred Herberg, Head of BfN Division II, Protection, Development and Sustainable Use of Nature and Landscape.
Central points of discussion
The BfN expert discussion made it clear once again that the global crises of biodiversity loss and climate change must not be viewed in isolation, as the specific approaches to solving them are constantly intersecting and must therefore always be considered in parallel. Intensive communication between all stakeholders proved to be a key prerequisite for successful and forward-looking concepts. Looking back on the presentations and the discussion, a number of other aspects emerged that were repeatedly placed centre stage.
Data situation
This primarily concerns the lack of or provision of data to properly map the occurrence of WTG-sensitive bird and bat species in the region. This applies both to the regional planning level, where species protection issues will require much more intensive consideration in future, and to the approval level, where measures to minimise impacts will only be determined on the basis of existing data in future. The existing data, including from project-related mapping, must therefore be made much more readily available and government-supported recording and modelling activities must also be undertaken.
Availability of land
Another central point of discussion was the availability of land, both for the expansion of wind energy utilisation and the improvement of habitat conditions for species affected by the effects of wind energy utilisation as compensation for unavoidable impairments. The expansion of wind energy utilisation should take place where the conflicts with nature conservation concerns are the least. This requires systematic analyses of potential areas from the federal to the regional level, in which nature conservation and species protection criteria must be given high priority. However, areas also require measures to compensate for the unavoidable adverse effects of wind energy use, such as those to be implemented not least as part of species aid programmes. And areas for natural climate protection measures, all of which also have a positive effect on biodiversity, will also be increasingly needed in future. This combined need for land suggests that the additional areas for nature conservation should be considered and defined at the regional planning level in parallel with the designation of wind energy areas.
Species support programmes
A funding guideline is being prepared for the implementation of the species support programmes so that measures can be implemented when the areas are available. As the financial resources for the funding guideline are to be provided both from state funds and from individual compensation payments from the applicants, the ability to plan the measures is still limited. It was also repeatedly made clear that the AHP can only supplement, but not replace, nationwide or supra-regional species conservation programmes. Continuous monitoring of success was also called for. This is the only way to ensure that the measures taken actually lead to the intended safeguarding of favourable conservation statuses.
Shortage of skilled labour
A major obstacle to the appropriate treatment of nature conservation issues in planning and approval procedures was identified as the acute shortage of skilled labour among all stakeholders involved (including the wind industry, administration, consultants, nature conservation). Against this backdrop, the efficiency of procedures and processes is a crucial lever for jointly fulfilling the objectives of nature conservation and wind energy expansion, even under the given framework conditions.
Conclusion
In dialogue with other stakeholders, the BfN will continue to examine the areas in which the development of further technical standards is possible and sensible. There is also potential for adapting existing standards and making them more widely applicable. However, specific nationwide standards or guidelines for wind energy utilisation in forest areas were not considered useful, as the situation in the federal states is too heterogeneous.
DownloadS
Presentations and Handout
ContaCt
BfN Division II 4.3, Nature Conservation and Renewable Energies: FG-II43(at)BfN.de
