Balancing Renewable Energy and Bird Conservation

A new tool to help Australia build renewables in the right places will launch this November. Called AVISTEP, it uses millions of bird sightings, decades of research and expert modelling to map where wind, solar and transmission projects are likely to have low, medium or high impacts on biodiversity. The aim is to get renewables built — but built in the right places – and avoid conflicts like the Robbins Island wind farm in Tasmania, recently approved despite sitting in a critical bird migration corridor. Already available overseas, AVISTEP works on a simple traffic-light system — green for go, red for no, amber for “find somewhere better.” BirdLife Australia’s Dr. Golo Maurer explains how the tool works and why it could be a game-changer for the renewable rollout.