Alerta Tendidos

The project “Alerta Tendidos” which means “Powerlines Alert”, consists of the development, dissemination and improvement of a free user-friendly mobile application to engage citizens in the identification of potentially dangerous power lines for birds of prey, specifically for the endangered Iberian Imperial Eagle.

 

Highlights

• An easy-to-use mobile application allows for engagement of civil society, thereby significantly enlarging the potential data source pool.
• Data on bird mortality can be collected in remote and over extensive areas.
• Combined with information about structural characteristics of pylons and insulators, the practice aims to evaluate the current mitigation measures and give recommendations for future investments.

 

About the practice

Electrocution by power lines is one of the main causes of non-natural death for the Iberian Imperial Eagle, an endemic species of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as other birds of prey such as Bonellis or Golden Eagles. This non-natural cause of mortality is destabilising populations and could potentially cause local extinctions.

By using a user-friendly app, the project wants to enlist civil society to participate as voluntary observation groups while raising awareness of the importance to protect birds of prey. The mobile application “Alerta Tendidos” guides the user on a step-by-step observation and description of power lines, insulators, crossarms, etc. Users can upload pictures and coordinates, put in information and review it later. Experts then analyse the data provided by the users.

There is limited data on bird mortality related to extensive power lines and remote areas as most of the existing studies evaluate birds’ interaction with power lines in local areas only. The app aims to collect data to find the most important blackspots for death incidence and understand the spatial distribution of bird mortality across extensive areas. Combining this with information about the structural characteristics of the pylons and the type of insulators will help evaluate the efficacy of current mitigation measures. The findings can then be used to provide electricity companies and public administrations with relevant information about the most dangerous spots for birds of prey.

 

Find out more

The Foundation “Friends of the Iberian Imperial Eagle, Iberian Linx and Private Natural Areas” was initiated in 2005 by a group of owners and citizens engaged in the protection of habitats, the conservation of endangered species and the sustainability of natural areas.

The project partners included the Universidad Complutense de Madrid as well as environmental agents from the Spanish Nature Protection Service. From 2019 on, they will be joined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in the internationalisation phase. The project is funded by the Banco de Santander Foundation.