Integrating conservation priorities into spatial planning for renewable energy development: The case of the Spanish imperial eagle

The rapid expansion of renewable energy infrastructure across the Iberian Peninsula presents new challenges for the conservation of endangered species, such as the Spanish imperial eagle ( Aquila adalberti ). We assessed the spatial overlap between operational wind and photovoltaic energy facilities and the key ecological areas used by juvenile Spanish imperial eagles and areas occupied by resident breeding adults. We analysed GPS-tracking data from 61 juveniles monitored between 2017 and 2023, together with breeding data from official records, to estimate dispersal and breeding ranges. We found that 40 % of the juvenile dispersal area suffers moderate to high-risk from energy installations, and that these areas host over 46 % of all wind turbines and 67 % of the photovoltaic energy surface in the study area. Of the eagles monitored, 36 % died during the study period, with 59 % of the human-activity related deaths linked to energy infrastructure, primarily due to electrocution. We also evaluated the current and zones excluded from the designation of go-to areas for renewable energy implementation under Directive (EU) 2023/2413 and found that only 21.3 % of the juvenile dispersal area and 38 % of the breeding range are currently protected. Proposed extensions to exclusion zones would significantly increase the protected area (18–26 %) but still leave ecologically sensitive areas at risk. These results underscore the urgent need to integrate fine-scale ecological data into renewable energy planning to reduce conflicts with endangered species conservation.