Fledermausschutz an Windenergieanlagen.

The currently demanded accelerated expansion of renewable energies confronts politics and nature conservation with serious decisions. Biodiversity loss and global warming are two equally important crises of great ecological and societal significance. Bats, as an endangered and strictly protected taxon, are at the centre of these crises. This article summarizes the current state of knowledge on the conflict between wind energy development and bat conservation, taking into account the changed legal situation (amendment of the “Bundesnaturschutzgesetzes”, “Erneuerbare-Energie-Gesetz”, “Windenergie-an-Land-Gesetz”). Restricting bat protection in the national expansion of wind energy production would jeopardize the conservation status and thus the populations of those bat species that are sensitive to wind turbines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]