National guidelines help prevent bird electrocution

AMMAN — The recent national guideline issued by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), establishes “clear progress” in preventing the electrocution of birds on power lines in Jordan.

According to Director of the Bird Project Department at the RSCN Tariq Qaneer, “avian electrocution is a real threat for bird conservation and leads to unplanned power outages”,

Seeking to reduce local avian electrocution rates, the RSCN and the Irbid Electricity Company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and developed action plans focused on addressing bird electrocution in the northern region, which is regarded as a major migration route for birds in Jordan.

“The society, together with the Irbid Electricity Company, is working to insulate the most hazardous power lines in the northern region,” Qaneer said in a statement made available to The Jordan Times.

Further, RSCN cooperation with the Ministry of Environment resulted in developing a guideline that outlines the standards for environmental impact assessment studies for power distribution and transmission projects in the Kingdom, the RSCN told The Jordan Times.

Recent figures by the RSCN showed that so far, around 150 birds have been electrocuted on power infrastructure in the Al Ekaider area, given its convenience as a place for birds to rest during their journey.

About 3,000 to 4,000 white storks pass by the site, and are exposed to the dangers of electrocution, according to RSCN. In the southern part of the Kingdom, precisely at the Al Jafr-Ma’an power line, there have been high bird mortality rates documented along power lines.

Consequently, the society has signed a MoU with the Electricity Distribution Company, to implement “the second phase of insulating the most hazardous poles at Al Jafr-Ma’an power line”

“The Kingdom is situated in the second most important bird migration route in the world,” Qaneer said. Therefore Jordan’s responsibility increases, requiring an accurate record of partnerships and policies that properly address avian electrocution, he added.