The program
Presentation
The MIGRATLANE research programme is part of the development of offshore wind farms along the French Channel-Atlantic coast. The planning of maritime developments for the energy transition must be accompanied by a sound knowledge of the animal species that frequent these areas, in order to ensure their preservation. The Office Français de la Biodiversité has therefore launched and is leadind a research programme to collect data and characterize migratory flows, flight behavior and altitudes, as well as maritime areas of importance for seabirds, land birds and bats. The program is composed of 6 complementary parts: tracking, visual radar, acoustic and aerial survey and of course data analysis and modeling. The part 2, subject of this website, focuses on telemetry, i.e. the tracking of birds thanks to geolocalisation devices.
Objectives
To characterize, on the scale of the North-East Atlantic arc, the migrations of birds and bats at sea and the functionalities of coastal and offshore areas for seabirds, both during the breeding and wintering periods.
What’s planned
- State of knowledge and existing data on the flying fauna of the North-East Atlantic arc.
- Deployment of complementary measurement and monitoring methods and technologies (radar, telemetry, acoustic and visual monitoring, aerial campaigns).
- Combined data modeling for an integrative approach.
Expected results
MIGRATLANE will provide unprecedented insights into the flying fauna of the north-east Atlantic arc:
- Migratory timings (phenology) and preferential routes
- Estimation of individual flows
- Flight behavior and altitudes
- Spatial distribution of seabirds
- Identification of foraging and resting areas
This information will help characterize threats to populations and improve the implementation of public policies to preserve species and their natural habitats, as well as prevent potential impacts on these populations in the context of new maritime use planning.
Research institutions involved in the telemetry part of the MIGRATLANE programme
The MIGRATLANE programme is funded by the Observatoire National de l’Eolien en Mer (€9M).
The ONEM is lead by :
- Ministry for the energy transition
- Ministry of ecological transition
- Directorate general for Maritime affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture (DGAMPA)
with support from :
- French Office for Biodiversity
- Institut français pour la recherche et l’exploitation de la mer (Ifremer)