Оценка уровня гибели хищных птиц на линиях электропередачи 6-10 кВ в Кинельском районе Самарской области ГИС-методами

• Main Authors: Карякин, И., Левашкин, А., Глыбина, М., Питерова, Е.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Общество с ограниченной ответственностью «Сибэкоцентр» 2008
• Subjects: ХИЩНЫЕ ПТИЦЫ; ЛЭП; Strix uralensis; Ural Owl
• Online Access: http://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/otsenka-urovnya-gibeli-hischnyh-ptits-na-liniyah-elektroperedachi-6-10-kv-v-kinelskom-rayone-samarskoy-oblasti-gis-metodami; http://cyberleninka.ru/article_covers/14742489.png

Introduction The continual problem of bird deaths from electrocution has existed from 1960's, the beginning of intensive development of power line infrastructure. Within the programme «Recovering of the numbers of birds of prey in the Samara District», financed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Samara District, a research through GIS techniques was undertaken to assess the interaction between birds and power lines, using the Kinel region of the Samara District as an example (fig. 1). This particular region was chosen, because it characterizes the typical landscape of the forest-steppe area of the Samara District and has a reasonably developed power line infrastructure without constructions aimed at bird protection. Methodology In the course of surveys counts of birds of prey on study plots were carried out in the forest-steppe region of the Samara District. In August-September, until the beginning of migration of birds of prey, a sample study on locations of dangerous 6-10 kV power lines was carried out (fig. 2). The list of species of raptors perishing from electrocution and the occurrence level of death in different habitats were established. All locations where alive or dead raptors were found were recorded with a GPS-navigator Garmin and transferred into a GIS system. The following analysis of data was done with ArcView 3.3. For the analysis thematic maps were created by using Spatial Analyst, Image Analysis, Edit Tools and X-Tools, among others. The method of analysis was as follows: 1. On the basis of a satellite image Landsat ETM+ 2000 (fig. 3), thematic maps of the Kinel region were created: a vegetation map (fig. 4) and a map of the power line infrastructure of the region (fig. 5). 1.1. Satellite images were classified into 16 classes and compiled together. 1.2. Classified image was converted into a shp-format for ArcView, and polygons smaller than 0.05 km2 were eliminated by extending the boundaries of the bigger polygons. 1.3. Basing on a system of reference points, legends for vegetation classes were generated. 1.4. The thematic layer of forest habitats was divided into 2-5 different classes. 2. The power line with 6-10 kV voltage was given a separate thematic layer (fig. 6). 3. For all locations were a bird had died on a power line; spatial characteristics that can be extracted from the thematic maps were defined. 3.1. Around every point of bird death, a buffer of 2 km radius was created. 3.2. Thematic maps were split according to the buffer zones. 3.3. For the most important spatial objects and landscape elements that appeared within the buffer, a distance between them and the point of death was calculated. 3.4. The most significant parameters were selected for each of the species. 4. The linear theme of 6-10 kV power lines was transformed into a three-step buffer with steps of 0.5 km (fig. 7). 5. The thematic layer of forests of the Kinel region was split with buffers for the power line impact zone. For forests that were located within the buffer for a power line, a danger class was defined according to the distance from the power line (fig. 8). 6. For the forests of the region, including those within the impact zone of power lines, a system of points was created through the method of closest neighbor. The system of points imitated the net distribution structure of different species. 7. For the power line impact zone with different categories of danger, an annual death rate for every species and every type of damage was calculated, based on the rates confirmed by the Ministry of Natural Resources. 8. The size of the most dangerous parts of the power line system was defined. Results During surveys it was found out that within the territory studied, the birds most often dying from electrocution belong to Corvidae (n=80; 60,0%), predominantly the Hooded Crow Corvus cornix (18.7%) and Magpie Pica pica (17.5%). The share of birds of prey was 31,25%, of which most were Common Buzzards Buteo buteo (18.75%) and Ural Owls Strix uralensis (7.5%), nesting in the margins of forested areas of different types and ages (table. 1, fig. 9). All perished Ural Owls were found within the distance of 210 m from forest edges and buzzards within 1.36 km from edges. Of buzzards, 53.3% died within a 100-meter zone (fig. 10). Taking into account that towards the end of the brooding young birds start to settle into bigger territories, the power line impact zone was extended to1.5 km and divided into 3 parts of a 0.5 km width each. Every class coincides with certain level of danger: 1st class, up to 0.5 km, is the zone where the majority of deaths occur. In the studied areas of the power line system, 15 occurrences of death of buzzard were recorded in 11 nesting sites, which constitute 54.05% from the overall quantity of sites falling within the power line impact zone. Deaths of Ural Owl were recorded in 6 breeding territories (6 dead birds) out of 18, which fall within the impact zone (32.95%). The data relates to the 3-week period in the end of the breeding season. It is presumed that for the 6-week period until the beginning of intensive migration, the death rate will be two times higher due to the increase of area were deaths are to be found, as well as due to the increase of deaths occurring in areas already registered with deaths. Such results allow to presume that in the end of summer in every breeding territory of the Buzzard and the Ural Owl within the power line impact zone, there will be 1.47 and 0.66 dead individuals per species, respectively. According to the extrapolation of the data, within the power line impact zone there are 36-46 breeding pairs of buzzard and 27-33 of Ural Owl (fig.11), post-breeding numbers of which is estimated to be 155-198 and 104-127 individuals, respectively. Around 80% of the territories of both species are within the impact zone of 1st class of danger. This means that 129-155 buzzards on 33 breeding territories and 85-100 Ural Owls on 24 territories have the highest probability to die from electrocution, in accordance with the established death rate from the modeled range of power line danger for birds. Thus, the annual death rate of Buzzards and Ural Owls from electrocution on 6-10 kV power lines in the end of summer in the Kinel region of the Samara District can be estimated as 44-53 and 15-17 individuals, respectively (10.65% and 5.41% from the overall numbers of the species in the region). Actually these numbers relate only to the birds that reproduce within the region. In the migration period the number of dying buzzards might increase significantly due to the northern migrants. The death rate of Ural Owls could be substantially higher, as the bird winters in the breeding territory and its death rate over the late autumn and winter could remain the same as observed by us for the end of summer-beginning of autumn. The damage of an individual death of raptors such as buzzards and Ural Owls, not included in the Red Data Book of Russia, is estimated at 5000 rubles. The minimum annual damage inflicted by the owners of the 6-10 kV power lines to these species, nesting in the Kinel region, constitutes 295-350 thousand rubles. The overall annual damage caused to all birds by electrocution in the Kinel region might exceed 1 million rubles. It is hoped that the GIS technologies will be more widely applied in scientific research as well as in nature conservation activities, and that the method described above will be realized in practice in other areas for the benefit of birds of prey. Introduction The continual problem of bird deaths from electrocution has existed from 1960's, the beginning of intensive development of power line infrastructure. Within the programme «Recovering of the numbers of birds of prey in the Samara District», financed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Samara District, a research through GIS techniques was undertaken to assess the interaction between birds and power lines, using the Kinel region of the Samara District as an example (fig. 1). This particular region was chosen, because it characterizes the typical landscape of the forest-steppe area of the Samara District and has a reasonably developed power line infrastructure without constructions aimed at bird protection. Methodology In the course of surveys counts of birds of prey on study plots were carried out in the forest-steppe region of the Samara District. In August-September, until the beginning of migration of birds of prey, a sample study on locations of dangerous 6-10 kV power lines was carried out (fig. 2). The list of species of raptors perishing from electrocution and the occurrence level of death in different habitats were established. All locations where alive or dead raptors were found were recorded with a GPS-navigator Garmin and transferred into a GIS system. The following analysis of data was done with ArcView 3.3. For the analysis thematic maps were created by using Spatial Analyst, Image Analysis, Edit Tools and X-Tools, among others. The method of analysis was as follows: 1. On the basis of a satellite image Landsat ETM+ 2000 (fig. 3), thematic maps of the Kinel region were created: a vegetation map (fig. 4) and a map of the power line infrastructure of the region (fig. 5). 1.1. Satellite images were classified into 16 classes and compiled together. 1.2. Classified image was converted into a shp-format for ArcView, and polygons smaller than 0.05 km2 were eliminated by extending the boundaries of the bigger polygons. 1.3. Basing on a system of reference points, legends for vegetation classes were generated. 1.4. The thematic layer of forest habitats was divided into 2-5 different classes. 2. The power line with 6-10 kV voltage was given a separate thematic layer (fig. 6). 3. For all locations were a bird had died on a power line; spatial characteristics that can be extracted from the thematic maps were defined. 3.1. Around every point of bird death, a buffer of 2 km radius was created. 3.2. Thematic maps were split according to the buffer zones. 3.3. For the most important spatial objects and landscape elements that appeared within the buffer, a distance between them and the point of death was calculated. 3.4. The most significant parameters were selected for each of the species. 4. The linear theme of 6-10 kV power lines was transformed into a three-step buffer with steps of 0.5 km (fig. 7). 5. The thematic layer of forests of the Kinel region was split with buffers for the power line impact zone. For forests that were located within the buffer for a power line, a danger class was defined according to the distance from the power line (fig. 8). 6. For the forests of the region, including those within the impact zone of power lines, a system of points was created through the method of closest neighbor. The system of points imitated the net distribution structure of different species. 7. For the power line impact zone with different categories of danger, an annual death rate for every species and every type of damage was calculated, based on the rates confirmed by the Ministry of Natural Resources. 8. The size of the most dangerous parts of the power line system was defined. Results During surveys it was found out that within the territory studied, the birds most often dying from electrocution belong to Corvidae (n=80; 60,0%), predominantly the Hooded Crow Corvus cornix (18.7%) and Magpie Pica pica (17.5%). The share of birds of prey was 31,25%, of which most were Common Buzzards Buteo buteo (18.75%) and Ural Owls Strix uralensis (7.5%), nesting in the margins of forested areas of different types and ages (table. 1, fig. 9). All perished Ural Owls were found within the distance of 210 m from forest edges and buzzards within 1.36 km from edges. Of buzzards, 53.3% died within a 100-meter zone (fig. 10). Taking into account that towards the end of the brooding young birds start to settle into bigger territories, the power line impact zone was extended to1.5 km and divided into 3 parts of a 0.5 km width each. Every class coincides with certain level of danger: 1st class, up to 0.5 km, is the zone where the majority of deaths occur. In the studied areas of the power line system, 15 occurrences of death of buzzard were recorded in 11 nesting sites, which constitute 54.05% from the overall quantity of sites falling within the power line impact zone. Deaths of Ural Owl were recorded in 6 breeding territories (6 dead birds) out of 18, which fall within the impact zone (32.95%). The data relates to the 3-week period in the end of the breeding season. It is presumed that for the 6-week period until the beginning of intensive migration, the death rate will be two times higher due to the increase of area were deaths are to be found, as well as due to the increase of deaths occurring in areas already registered with deaths. Such results allow to presume that in the end of summer in every breeding territory of the Buzzard and the Ural Owl within the power line impact zone, there will be 1.47 and 0.66 dead individuals per species, respectively. According to the extrapolation of the data, within the power line impact zone there are 36-46 breeding pairs of buzzard and 27-33 of Ural Owl (fig.11), post-breeding numbers of which is estimated to be 155-198 and 104-127 individuals, respectively. Around 80% of the territories of both species are within the impact zone of 1st class of danger. This means that 129-155 buzzards on 33 breeding territories and 85-100 Ural Owls on 24 territories have the highest probability to die from electrocution, in accordance with the established death rate from the modeled range of power line danger for birds. Thus, the annual death rate of Buzzards and Ural Owls from electrocution on 6-10 kV power lines in the end of summer in the Kinel region of the Samara District can be estimated as 44-53 and 15-17 individuals, respectively (10.65% and 5.41% from the overall numbers of the species in the region). Actually these numbers relate only to the birds that reproduce within the region. In the migration period the number of dying buzzards might increase significantly due to the northern migrants. The death rate of Ural Owls could be substantially higher, as the bird winters in the breeding territory and its death rate over the late autumn and winter could remain the same as observed by us for the end of summer-beginning of autumn. The damage of an individual death of raptors such as buzzards and Ural Owls, not included in the Red Data Book of Russia, is estimated at 5000 rubles. The minimum annual damage inflicted by the owners of the 6-10 kV power lines to these species, nesting in the Kinel region, constitutes 295-350 thousand rubles. The overall annual damage caused to all birds by electrocution in the Kinel region might exceed 1 million rubles. It is hoped that the GIS technologies will be more widely applied in scientific research as well as in nature conservation activities, and that the method described above will be realized in practice in other areas for the benefit of birds of prey.