The all-virtual 13th Wind Wildlife Research Meeting (WWRM 2020) was held December 1-4, 2020.
About
The biennial Wind Wildlife Research Meeting provides an internationally recognized forum for researchers and stakeholders to share and engage on the latest science focused on better understanding the risk of wind energy to wildlife and developing solutions to avoid, minimize, and offset impacts. The meeting also brings together thought leaders to discuss priority topics and themes in the wind-wildlife arena.
The all-virtual 13th Wind Wildlife Research Meeting featured a variety of on-demand and live content presented by U.S. and international experts.
Materials
On-Demand Content
Over 75 on-demand presentations from U.S. and international experts on research addressing wildlife and onshore and offshore wind energy siting, development, and operations.
Live Sessions (Held Dec. 1 – 4, 2020)
- December 1: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) Land Based Wind Energy Guidelines Workshop
Co-organized by USFWS and American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), with support from AWWI and others, the workshop discussed the development and application of the Land Based Wind Energy Guidelines (WEGs) including the background of their creation, the intent of implementation of the WEGs, the tiered approach to risk assessment, and resulting conservation benefits.
- December 2-4: Live Panels & Sessions
- Opening Session: Celebrate 27 years of collaborative research and discuss future challenges that will require setting priorities.
- Panels: Live discussions that bring together U.S. and international thought leaders on priority topics and themes for onshore and offshore wind energy.
Proceedings
These Proceedings capture and summarize more than 80 on-demand presentations and panel discussions on current research pertaining to wind energy-related wildlife fatalities; habitat and behavioral impacts at the project level as well as cumulative and landscape-scale impacts; and avoidance, minimization, and mitigation strategies and technologies. As the window of opportunity to prevent the most catastrophic consequences of climate change narrows, these proceedings reflect discussions among stakeholders – scientists, wildlife agencies, wind energy developers, and conservation organizations – about how to balance the need to understand and mitigate wind energy impacts with the need to expedite responsible development of wind energy.
WWRM Scholarship Program
In 2020, AWWI launched a scholarship program for higher-ed students with an interest in renewable energy and wildlife conservation to attend WWRM 2020. The program aimed to support students from diverse backgrounds to learn about wind-wildlife science and interact with professionals in the field.