We at Arise are proud to introduce Tova and Elina, two students from Halmstad University, as they prepare for their final year in the Conservation and Biodiversity program.

During the summer, they will be collecting data in our wind farms for their thesis, which they will present in May 2025.

Thesis on Biodiversity in Wind Farms:

Tova and Elina are investigating how wind turbines affect biodiversity by inventorying the number of species of vascular plants and butterflies. They compare areas with and without wind turbines to see how the structures affect local diversity.

Their work is conducted in and around the Oxhult and Kåphult wind farms. The goal is to identify species and understand how environmental changes affect ecosystem diversity over time.

Inventory Methods for Vascular Plants

They use line transect sampling for vascular plants. During June, these have been inventoried using a 25-meter tape measure rolled out in four stages at each wind turbine, totaling 100 meters. Plants are recorded along the tape measure and one meter on each side. The same method is also applied at control sites outside the wind turbines.

Inventory Methods for Butterflies

For butterflies, point counting is used. At each wind turbine, the wind turbine itself serves as the midpoint, and butterflies are recorded within a 25-meter radius circle for 15 minutes. This process is repeated three times between July and September, both at the wind turbines and at control sites.

Expected Results and Their Significance

Tova and Elina hope their work will provide valuable knowledge about how wind turbines affect nature. By understanding biodiversity, their results can help promote biodiversity in wind farms. They look forward to learning more about different species and their connections with both natural and human-made environments.

The results from their investigations will be compiled in the thesis, to be presented in May 2025 and may also be reported to The Swedish Butterfly Monitoring Scheme.

We at Arise look forward to following Tova and Elina's progress and learning throughout the summer and are convinced that their work will be a valuable asset for the future within wind power and conservation.