Map of bird sensitivities to wind farms in Scotland: A tool to aid planning and conservation

The map indicates greater bird sensitivity in northwest Scotland, particularly the Highlands, Western and Northern Isles. Overall, 37% of Scotland is classified as 'high', 25% as 'medium' and 38% as 'low/unknown' sensitivity. The overlap of the mapped species with proposed and existing wind farm developments was assessed and species for which cumulative effects of multiple wind farms are of particular concern identified. Within a Scottish context, bean goose, red kite and hen harrier showed the greatest overlap. Applications and limitations of the approach are discussed.