Predicting risk to bat species from wind turbine collision in Southeast Asia

Wind farms can pose significant risks to bat populations through collisions with turbines, habitat loss, and effects on behavior. With its rich bat diversity and expanding wind power industry, Southeast Asia lacks sufficient data to assess the risks posed to bat species from wind turbine collisions. We aimed to develop a predictive framework for assessing wind turbine risk to bats in Southeast Asia based on global bat fatality data and trait-based assessments. We conducted a review of the literature to compile data on global bat fatalities related to wind turbines. We developed a risk assessment framework comprising 3 components—potential fatality detection index (pDI), potential spatial exposure risk index (pSE), and conservation status—to assess species vulnerability to wind turbines and to generate a conservation prioritization score for Southeast Asian bat species. Our predictive models incorporated wing morphology traits to estimate fatality probabilities for bat species. Global wing morphology data provided some predictive power for bat collision risk. Our models correctly identified bat species with known fatality data but less successfully identified species with low risk of fatality. However, uncertainty arose from knowledge gaps and a lack of transferability of information to Southeast Asian species. Our framework offers a starting point for assessing bat collision risk in Southeast Asia, but it underscores the critical need for region-specific data and continued refinement of predictive models. Establishing comprehensive bat collision monitoring programs in the region is essential for informing evidence-based management decisions and ultimately minimizing the impacts of wind energy development on Southeast Asian bat populations.