New research introduces a science-based framework that helps wind developers reduce bat deaths while supporting the global clean-energy transition.
01.27.26
Austin, Texas (January 27, 2026) – As the global demand for electricity grows, so does the need for sustainable, renewable energy sources. However, as this urgent demand is met with more wind energy installations, conservationists are working with industry to lessen the impact of these installations on biodiversity. Currently, millions of bats globally are killed each year by wind turbines. A new article published in the journal Ecological Solutions and Evidence, written by a team led by Bat Conservation International (BCI) scientists, presents a novel tool that can help prevent bat extinctions and make wind energy facilities more sustainable.
Inspired by models used to predict the number of marine mammals that can be killed by the fishing industry without causing extinction, this tool uses a similar approach to help wind facilities reduce their impact on bats.
“Reducing bat fatalities at wind turbines is not a theoretical challenge—we know what works,” says Dr. Winifred Frick, BCI’s Chief Scientist. “This paper brings decades of research together into a decision framework that can immediately save bats while supporting the transition to clean energy.”
According to the study, this new tool and approach to adaptive management is important because it provides wind energy developers with a measure of success for actions that protect bats. Developers can incorporate this clear standard into their financial planning, helping them achieve economic success while protecting wildlife. Also, defining a measure of success is expected to inspire renewed investment in developing new technologies that can increase energy production while meeting biodiversity protection standards.
“As wind energy scales globally, the question is no longer whether impacts occur, but whether they are managed responsibly,” said Dr. Teague O’Mara, BCI’s Director of Conservation Evidence. “A defined measure of success allows developers to show—credibly and transparently—that renewable energy growth can be compatible with biodiversity protection if mitigation measures are implemented.”
Until now, a stumbling block in protecting bats at wind energy facilities has been the lack of sufficient ecological data about many bat species. This paper takes this uncertainty into account, provides a standard set of data to draw from, and allows practitioners to update calculations to include new data as they become available.
Co-authors of this paper include experts who have worked with wind energy developers and financial lenders, ensuring that strategies represent the interests of multiple parties. Authors hope that policymakers around the world will adopt these guidelines, making wind energy facilities sustainable and successful while preventing bat extinctions.
“Wind farm operators can use this approach to set bat impact levels which are biologically meaningful, adaptable to new data, and intentionally simple, for application to any site globally,” said David Wilson, Senior Principal Consultant at the Biodiversity Consultancy. “This allows developers to understand the potential impact of these practices during the project planning phase.”
Publishing this article supports recent and ongoing efforts by BCI and partners to expand the global awareness of strategies that can make the renewable energy transition safer for wildlife. The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species Energy Task Force’s Bat Mitigation Working Group, chaired by Dr. Frick, is building a network of bat and wind experts from every continent. This group produced two fact sheets to inform global policymakers, regulators, financiers, and developers on the importance of bats and implementing effective mitigation at wind energy facilities globally. The group’s call for States, developers, and international financial institutions to deploy evidence-based mitigation and equitable regulatory approaches was adopted as a formal Motion by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature at the World Conservation Congress in October of 2025.
To read the paper in its entirety, please visit https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2688-8319.70189
About Bat Conservation International
Bat Conservation International is a global conservation organization dedicated to ending bat extinctions. Our team works worldwide to conserve caves, restore critical habitats in danger, and ensure the survival of the world’s bat species. For more information, visit batcon.org.
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