Dolphins swim and jump, and hundreds of cranes fly over blue water while the Thera e Luna sail sail to meet wild animals that will coexist with dozens of wind farms in the Mediterranean in the future.
Every week, Thera e Luna, a 13-meter sailboat from the French NGO Les Peuples de la Mer (Peoples of the Sea), completes its mission by embarking on a journey in Port-Rogate in southeastern France.
Twelve large dolphins swim in the wake of a fishing boat where a flock of birds flew in the morning sun. Cetaceans do not dare to approach “Terra ai Luna”.
On board, three experts write about wildlife in the area. Serge Breeze, founder of the association, says: “You have to be patient, and they will get used to us and “come” towards the ship.
His colleague, ornithologist Alexander Hamon (Alexander Hamon) and Sonia Gara of the Society for the Preservation of Cetaceaceae, approach the arch with binoculars and a camera at hand.
With their passion for the sea, they want to complete research on the impact of wind farms on wildlife, almost unexplored terrain, and hopefully the discovery will be taken into account.
- Monitor and protect -
Large dolphins weighing several hundred kilograms are rarely displayed and can reach a height of 4 meters. But this time luck smiled at the sailors. Cetaceans are there and they finally get close and mess around the structure.
“The presence of large dolphins was unknown until the search breach in the region began in 2007,” says Sonia Garra, in Lucat, on the northwestern edge of the Mediterranean Sea, a few kilometers from the Spanish border.
Serge Breeze says: “It's rare to be able to monitor like this for two hours. He pointed to the “intelligence” of an unknown type.
On the horizon, the snow-capped peaks of the Eastern Pyrenees form the postcard scene.
Sonia Jara closely monitors marine mammals. “We have identified individuals with dorsal fins. This fin is unique, it is equivalent to a human digital footprint, allowing us to record and control movement in the Mediterranean.
After a great meeting, the three navigators continue their work, sorting out various animals, including many birds, for 10 hours.
Cranes, small penguins, puffins, tridactyl seagulls... Ornithologists conscientiously record on tablets to feed the gate of nature, Faune France.
The ship then reaches the “observation signal”, about 15 km from the coast, where an experimental wind farm will be installed next year.
- The real effect is “unknown” -
As in the other two pilot projects on the French Mediterranean coast, this will allow us to complete research and other studies on animal behavior in these previously unprecedented places.
For the first time, sensors can detect the movement of birds that can be damaged by plant blades, day and night. Serge Breeze explains that it is near a place where there is a huge wheelbarrow where the turbines rest.
Without waiting for the results of these pilot projects, French Prime Minister Jean-Castik announced two tenders to build two floating wind farms capable of providing electricity to 1 million people in the Mediterranean by 2030.
This is despite the fact that many votes were heard to request an adjournment during the general debate that took place between July and October.
“We are not against offshore wind projects, but previous studies are weak or incomplete,” Briz said. I say so.
Noting that the real impact on animals is “not yet known”, he believes that “years of research will still be needed” to accurately assess the results of its implementation.
The founder of oenegé is concerned about the “accumulation of human activities, such as hunting, recreation and wind”, which can modify “comfort zones, silence and nutrition” and “cause deterioration of fragile species, such as large dolphins.”
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