The wind of change: mapping wind energy growth and multi-species vulnerability in the Mediterranean

Chiara Costantino, Jacopo Cerri, Ilaria Fozzi, Davide De Rosa, Fiammetta Berlinguer

The rapid expansion of wind energy across the Mediterranean region calls for more advanced tools to assess and mitigate its impacts on biodiversity. In this study, we propose an innovative approach that integrates historical satellite imagery and ecological modelling to assess the spatiotemporal overlap between wind energy development and habitat suitability for multiple vulnerable raptor species. We reconstructed a 13-year trajectory of wind turbine distribution using high-resolution satellite images and applied species distribution models (SDMs) to eight raptor species of conservation concern. Our analysis revealed a marked increase in wind energy infrastructures, with a high degree of overlap between newly developed areas and suitable habitats for multiple species. This approach highlights the potential of combining geospatial data, predictive modelling, and a multi-species perspective to complement traditional assessment methods. Our results offer useful insights for identifying priority areas for monitoring and mitigation and suggest a transferable framework that could support more biodiversity-informed energy planning in Mediterranean ecosystems.