With its red-yellow eyes and characteristic feather tips, it is easy to recognize. The hubro is Europe’s largest owl. It weighs between 2 and 4 kilograms and can have a wingspan of up to 1.8 metres. The Hubroen was completely protected in 1971. But the formerly numerous and mythic Hubroen has become an endangered national treasure. A recent report from Nord University underlines the seriousness: In wind power areas, the number of hub bridges has been reduced by over 40 per cent following wind power development. Drastic decline after expansion Magne Husby is professor of terrestrial ecology at Nord University and professor II at NTNU. Husby’s work with hubbro started through BirdLife’s hubbro project in 2008, where the national occurrence of hubbro was recorded. In connection with the central Norwegian plans for wind power development in 2010, the developers were required to probe the effect of potential development on five species. One of these was the hub bridge. Husby and the project participants surveyed 48 sites before development. The study from 2014 was repeated in 2020, after the blasting and construction of roads and the erection of wind turbines in the wilderness had been completed. The researchers could then compare the places they had been – before and after development. The conclusion was discouraging: there were 41 percent fewer hub bridges in areas closer than five kilometers from the wind power developments. – 41 per cent in seven years is an enormous amount, affirms Husby. – But couldn’t they have just gone elsewhere, then? – Yes, but they have not been in those areas before, and then it is natural to believe that these areas are not as good as the ones they have been to, says the researcher. Hubroen is very much tied to a place. Researchers have proven, for example, that the common buzzard has nested in a place in Meråker for over 4,000 years, says Husby. Hubrounger in a nest on the Helgeland coast. The picture was not taken in connection with the research project. Photo: Lars-Petter Kalkenberg Central Norway is affected Husby says large areas of Central Norway are affected by the decline in the number of hubbro. From Namsos, Overhalla and Flatanger, to Surnadal, including Hitra and Frøya, there are today 41 per cent fewer locations with hub bridges than before the development, says Husby. But the situation in central Norway is symptomatic of the whole country, according to the researcher. – What we know is that the construction phase of such projects has been very negative for the hub bridge, he says. Photo: Nord University Hubro pair returned One of the locations for Husby’s research project is Sørmarkfjellet in Flatanger. TrønderEnergi has set up 31 wind turbines there. – It is worrying that there is a decline in the stock, regardless of what the reasons are, says Nils Henrik Johnson, department manager for licences, environment and property at Aneo, formerly TrønderEnergi. During the development, the company carried out measures to protect the hub bridge. Development was halted during critical nesting periods and helicopter flights were avoided for periods. The company itself has monitored the hubro population after the Husby research project was concluded. Based on their findings, it may appear that the hubro pair that withdrew during the development have returned again. – We are very happy that it appears that the grebe will continue to nest there, and we are excited about the continuation, says Johnson. Investigating again in four years Researcher Magne Husby believes that one must not celebrate too soon: – The fact that this has happened in one locality is not enough to draw any conclusion whatsoever, says Husby. In four years, the researchers will make another round to investigate whether the hubbros have returned, or whether the populations have declined further. – Can these findings be useful for builders in any way? – It depends on what we find in four years. But if the hub bridge does not return, then it should not be developed in hub bridge territory, says Husby.
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Report from Nord University sounds the alarm about wind power development – news Trøndelag
