Effects of large-scale onshore wind projects on land birds of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego should require large scale studies

Particularly large wind farms are being planned in Southern Chile and Southern Argentina associated with green hydrogen production plans assumed by both countries. It is feared that this drastic change in the landscape of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego will have serious impacts on the region's biodiversity, particularly on migratory and resident birds. Current work focus is on studying collision risk of birds with wind turbines. Several large-scale studies use radar-assisted methodologies to model the collision risk for local birds throughout the annual cycle. Our results, based on these models, indicate, very high collision estimates for certain species, as expected. These high collision estimates are mainly due to the large scale of the projected wind farms, rather than the collision rates per wind turbine. Our studies in Patagonia show that collision rates per turbine are lower than the rates recorded in other regions of the globe in similar habitats. The collision risk, despite being high, can be strongly reduced. These insights will allow the development of Active Turbine Management Plans that consider the most sensitive species locations, biodiversity hotspots and periods of the year. The recent studies were focused on collision risk, which is perceived as the most problematic direct impact. However, there is a general lack of studies and concern regarding other direct impacts, like barrier effect and the effect of exclusion and habitat loss. These are impacts that can have a negative effect on bird species whose most important areas of occurrence overlap with large-scale wind projects. The most vulnerable species are those that have their breeding strongholds in the Patagonian steppe, like Upland Goose (Chloephaga picta) and Tawny-throated Dotterel (Oreopholus ruficollis). These species might suffer a double impact resulting from the barrier effect on their routes in the region and the exclusion of important breeding areas. Comprehensive studies of the barrier and exclusion effects resulting from wind large-scale projects are essential to mitigate these cumulative risks and ensure the conservation of these groups of species. The studies should be carried out on a regional scale and partnerships should be created between promoters, universities, consultancies and government entities in both countries to model these effects and their impact on bird populations. It is a huge challenge, but one that is perfectly within the reach of the entities involved and proportional to the scale of the developments planned to the southern tip of South America.