Open Access
How to translate text using browser tools
1 December 2012 Is a wind-power plant acting as a barrier for reindeer Rangifer tarandus tarandus movements?
Jonathan E. Colman, Sindre Eftestøl, Diress Tsegaye, Kjetil Flydal, Atle Mysterud
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Reindeer herdsmen and authorities in Scandinavia fear detrimental effects from wind-power plants (WPs) on movements and area use of reindeer Rangifer tarandus tarandus. We tested the extent to which a WP represented a behavioural barrier for reindeer movement by comparing two neighbouring areas; one peninsula with and one without a WP. Both peninsulas had a parallel road and a power line bisecting them in a north-south direction. Presence of a larger or similar number of reindeer on the outer western compared to the inner eastern sections in both areas indicated no barrier effect from the WP. Furthermore, no clear barrier effects were found for reindeer movements during summer in the WP or neighbouring area, as reindeer have continued to cross back and forth between the inner and outer sections of the two areas. Contrary to our expectation, our finding contrasted with previous studies finding negative barrier effects from linear structures such as power lines and roads, suggesting considerable variation in the extent to which infrastructure acts as barriers.

Jonathan E. Colman, Sindre Eftestøl, Diress Tsegaye, Kjetil Flydal, and Atle Mysterud "Is a wind-power plant acting as a barrier for reindeer Rangifer tarandus tarandus movements?," Wildlife Biology 18(4), 439-445, (1 December 2012). https://doi.org/10.2981/11-116
Received: 29 November 2011; Accepted: 1 May 2012; Published: 1 December 2012
KEYWORDS
behavioural barrier
Rangifer tarandus tarandus
reindeer
seasonal movements
summer pasture
wind-power plant
Back to Top