Bonelli’s Eagle electrocution risk in Israel can be reduced by 80% by insulating only 4% of the pylons
Abstract The Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata) is a critically endangered species in Israel, with electrocution on power lines posing a serious threat to its population. Because retrofitting of electricity pylons to prevent mortality is a slow and costly process, it is important to prioritize the py...
Published in: | Ornithological Applications |
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Oxford University Press (OUP)
2024
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duae004 https://academic.oup.com/condor/advance-article-pdf/doi/10.1093/ornithapp/duae004/56755428/duae004.pdf https://academic.oup.com/condor/article-pdf/126/2/duae004/57360869/duae004.pdf |
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croxfordunivpr:10.1093/ornithapp/duae004 2024-05-19T07:41:35+00:00 Bonelli’s Eagle electrocution risk in Israel can be reduced by 80% by insulating only 4% of the pylons Mayrose, Asaf Haviv, Eli Hatzofe, Ohad Troupin, David Elroy, Michal Sapir, Nir Spreading Wings Israel Nature and Parks Authority Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel Israel Electric Corporation 2024 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duae004 https://academic.oup.com/condor/advance-article-pdf/doi/10.1093/ornithapp/duae004/56755428/duae004.pdf https://academic.oup.com/condor/article-pdf/126/2/duae004/57360869/duae004.pdf en eng Oxford University Press (OUP) https://academic.oup.com/pages/standard-publication-reuse-rights Ornithological Applications volume 126, issue 2 ISSN 0010-5422 2732-4621 journal-article 2024 croxfordunivpr https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duae004 2024-05-02T09:31:13Z Abstract The Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata) is a critically endangered species in Israel, with electrocution on power lines posing a serious threat to its population. Because retrofitting of electricity pylons to prevent mortality is a slow and costly process, it is important to prioritize the pylons in the network for quick and efficient mitigation of eagle mortality. To determine which pylons need to be retrofitted, we applied a three-stage maximum entropy modeling process for identifying the risk factors posed by different environmental variables. The environmental feature with the highest correlation to electrocution is the distance to reservoirs (i.e., many electrocution events occur near water reservoirs). The reservoirs are foraging hotspots for Bonelli’s Eagles in Israel’s arid environment. Electricity pylons powering the reservoirs’ pumping facilities tend to be the highest perches in the vicinity of many of the reservoirs, creating an ecological trap. The strong attraction of reservoirs to eagles may explain the high level of selectivity indicated by the model, suggesting that retrofitting only 3.6% of the pylons in the network would achieve 77% reduction in eagles’ electrocution probability. Moreover, insulating pylons according to the model will also likely reduce electrocutions of other avian species, including Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) and White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). The modeling process presented here yielded 2 electrocution risk maps, one to facilitate prioritization of mitigation in Israel’s existing power network and the second to support planning and designing new infrastructure. The model may help reach conservation goals for the Israeli Bonelli’s Eagle and the modeling approach may also be useful in prioritizing pylon retrofitting in other arid landscapes. Article in Journal/Newspaper Haliaeetus albicilla White-tailed eagle Oxford University Press Ornithological Applications |
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Oxford University Press |
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croxfordunivpr |
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English |
description |
Abstract The Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata) is a critically endangered species in Israel, with electrocution on power lines posing a serious threat to its population. Because retrofitting of electricity pylons to prevent mortality is a slow and costly process, it is important to prioritize the pylons in the network for quick and efficient mitigation of eagle mortality. To determine which pylons need to be retrofitted, we applied a three-stage maximum entropy modeling process for identifying the risk factors posed by different environmental variables. The environmental feature with the highest correlation to electrocution is the distance to reservoirs (i.e., many electrocution events occur near water reservoirs). The reservoirs are foraging hotspots for Bonelli’s Eagles in Israel’s arid environment. Electricity pylons powering the reservoirs’ pumping facilities tend to be the highest perches in the vicinity of many of the reservoirs, creating an ecological trap. The strong attraction of reservoirs to eagles may explain the high level of selectivity indicated by the model, suggesting that retrofitting only 3.6% of the pylons in the network would achieve 77% reduction in eagles’ electrocution probability. Moreover, insulating pylons according to the model will also likely reduce electrocutions of other avian species, including Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) and White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). The modeling process presented here yielded 2 electrocution risk maps, one to facilitate prioritization of mitigation in Israel’s existing power network and the second to support planning and designing new infrastructure. The model may help reach conservation goals for the Israeli Bonelli’s Eagle and the modeling approach may also be useful in prioritizing pylon retrofitting in other arid landscapes. |
author2 |
Spreading Wings Israel Nature and Parks Authority Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel Israel Electric Corporation |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Mayrose, Asaf Haviv, Eli Hatzofe, Ohad Troupin, David Elroy, Michal Sapir, Nir |
spellingShingle |
Mayrose, Asaf Haviv, Eli Hatzofe, Ohad Troupin, David Elroy, Michal Sapir, Nir Bonelli’s Eagle electrocution risk in Israel can be reduced by 80% by insulating only 4% of the pylons |
author_facet |
Mayrose, Asaf Haviv, Eli Hatzofe, Ohad Troupin, David Elroy, Michal Sapir, Nir |
author_sort |
Mayrose, Asaf |
title |
Bonelli’s Eagle electrocution risk in Israel can be reduced by 80% by insulating only 4% of the pylons |
title_short |
Bonelli’s Eagle electrocution risk in Israel can be reduced by 80% by insulating only 4% of the pylons |
title_full |
Bonelli’s Eagle electrocution risk in Israel can be reduced by 80% by insulating only 4% of the pylons |
title_fullStr |
Bonelli’s Eagle electrocution risk in Israel can be reduced by 80% by insulating only 4% of the pylons |
title_full_unstemmed |
Bonelli’s Eagle electrocution risk in Israel can be reduced by 80% by insulating only 4% of the pylons |
title_sort |
bonelli’s eagle electrocution risk in israel can be reduced by 80% by insulating only 4% of the pylons |
publisher |
Oxford University Press (OUP) |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duae004 https://academic.oup.com/condor/advance-article-pdf/doi/10.1093/ornithapp/duae004/56755428/duae004.pdf https://academic.oup.com/condor/article-pdf/126/2/duae004/57360869/duae004.pdf |
genre |
Haliaeetus albicilla White-tailed eagle |
genre_facet |
Haliaeetus albicilla White-tailed eagle |
op_source |
Ornithological Applications volume 126, issue 2 ISSN 0010-5422 2732-4621 |
op_rights |
https://academic.oup.com/pages/standard-publication-reuse-rights |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duae004 |
container_title |
Ornithological Applications |
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1799481191631421440 |