Summary:
We found almost four times more predatory birds in areas without wind turbines than around wind farms. The site was chosen as it has one of the largest and longest-running wind farms in the region. However, there were more lizards around wind farms. The drop in the number of such birds, in turn, increases the density of lizards on the ground.The findings were published in Nature Ecology & Evolution on Monday. PUNE: A study done in the Satara region of the Western Ghats confirmed the deeper ecological consequences of wind farms in biodiversity-rich areas by establishing a link between such farms and the number of predatory birds and ground-dwelling lizards in their vicinity.The study, conducted jointly by city-based independent researchers Harshal Bhosale and Amod Zambre and Bengaluru-based Maria Thaker, found that wind farms reduce the number as well as the activity of predatory birds..