In 2015, the International Energy Agency stated that renewable energy will represent the largest single source of electricity growth over the next five years. However, wind turbines and communication towers present potential risk to birds and bats.
Developers must fulfill the legal requirements of Wildlife Acts, Endangered Species Acts and Environment Assessment (EA) Acts as a required to proposed projects. EA includes pre–construction, installation and post–installation monitoring. Regulators require an increasing amount of data, in some cases, requiring a number of years study before and after development. Obtaining accurate visual census of airborne wildlife is not easy. This is particularly true during migration when flight densities can average over two birds per minute, in multiple directions and at altitudes well beyond the field of view; challenging during the day and even more so at night. In addition, the presence of listed species can affect approvals if appropriate mitigation is not in place.
EchoTrack Radar-Acoustic Surveillance System with nocturnal monitoring and specific identification capabilities, provides accurate information essential for good decision making. This can mean the difference between successful deployment and being locked in litigation. Other stakeholders in the EA area may include land developers, national/provincial/state parks, forest industry, wine industry, and the agricultural community.