In the last 10 years they have died at least 4,666 electrocuted birds in the electrical network Catalonia. This equates to an average of more than a dead bird every day. And worst of all: the rural agents recognize that this is just the tip of the iceberg. This count only includes the cases in which the rurales receive a notice or find the body themselves, they draw up the minutes and report to the Environment Prosecutor.
This 2023, and until April 15, 169 birds had died in these circumstances
However, there may be other electrocution deaths that there is no recordeither because they take place in an area of Hard access or because the dead bird becomes carrion for other animals and therefore the corpse disappears.
Some areas with a high concentration of deaths are the Ebro delta, Osona, the Garraf massif and the regions of Lleida
The data of the rural agents of the Generalitat to which EL PERIÓDICO has accessed show the global computation of the last 10 years. All of Catalonia is affected, but there are some regions where the concentrations of deaths are especially flashy.
There are large numbers of deaths in protected areas such as the Ebro deltaalso in osona and surroundings, in the Garraf massif, a breeding place for various birds of prey, and above all, in the eastern regions of Catalonia. It is in this territory where more bird deaths due to shocks and electrocutions against power lines are recorded.
A biology team from the University of Barcelona has been working together with the MAVA Foundation for more than 20 years studying this phenomenon. They confirm that electrocutions are a serious problem for populations of some bird species and that Catalonia is one of the areas where these accidents occur the most.
rabbit overpopulation
Birds that die from accidents with the netting high voltage are usually birds of great wingspanoften raptors or scavengers. And why are there so many dead birds in this particular area of Catalonia? The experts do not have a single answer, but they do have some reflections.
The highest bird mortality coincides with the points where there is the most overpopulation of rabbits
It is a reality that many dead birds in the eastern municipalities of the community are storks, since there are some important populations. It is also true that this territory is a zone of migratory passage usual.
What draws the attention of some specialists is that there are so many fatalities precisely in the place in Catalonia with the most overpopulation of rabbits. Some of the dead birds, such as owls real waves golden eaglesare specialists in the predation of rabbits, which represent a major bulk of your diet.
This does not mean that the excess of rabbits is occurring because too many birds of prey die in the Lleida region. But it is true that if many of these birds did not suffer outrages, poisonings or you are electrocutions they might keep the rabbits at bay a bit more.
Is there a solution to this problem? Yes. Both the Generalitat and Endesa (one of the main companies that have power lines, not the only one) detail that through an adaptation of the lines most of these deaths can be prevented.
Many of them occur in protected areas, and in these places, it is the Generalitat that must invest so that the companies act. Endesa sources point out that since a collaboration agreement was signed with the ‘conselleria’, more than 2,000 actions have already been carried out, reforming and modifying the network with protection elements, such as insulators, and anti-collision or bird-shaped beacons to prevent birds from approaching. But at all times it is the Generalitat who sets up the posts that must be adapted and the priorities when acting.
The general trend is increasingmore and more birds are dying from electrocution, although in 2022 they were fewer than in 2021. This 2023, and until April 15, they have died 169 birds in these circumstances. The objective of Endesa and the Government is that in the coming years these deaths of birds (in some cases protected) are minimized thanks to the protection measures that at the moment are not applied throughout Catalonia.
judicial path
Part of these electrocutions of birds from the Barcelona province are being investigated by a vic court (Osona) as a result of a lawsuit filed two years ago by the prosecutor for two ecological crimes against Endesa (now E-Distribución), as well as against six of its directors. The investigations continue.
The Generalitat is in charge of ordering which electrical towers have to be urgently adapted
The senior officials charged have already testified before the judge, but new proceedings are pending due to the extension of the investigations, since since the date the complaint was filed there have been more animal deaths from colliding with distribution cables or perching on towers. Therefore, it is not ruled out that other managers of the electric company must appear in court.
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The public prosecution attributes to the defendants having breached the laws that “they imposed the obligation to maintain electrical networks in adequate technical conditions and without harming or endangering wildlife and the environment in general.” The prosecutor’s complaint Antoni Pelegrin details the electrocution of protected species, such as the white stork, the buzzard, the short-toed eagle, the goshawk and the eagle owl, among others. The simple gesture of unfolding their wings causes them to touch both wires and receive a download.
The prosecution stresses that Endesa “is subject to numerous regulations that aim to make compatible freedom of enterprise within the framework of the market economy with respect for the environment”. electrical energy entails, not only for people but also for flora, fauna and, in general, the environment”. Therefore, “it is obliged to not endanger or seriously damage biodiversity that lives in the wild and can come into contact with its industrial installations for transporting electrical energy”.