The increasing development of offshore wind farms (OWFs) as a clean energy source to combat greenhouse gas emissions poses challenges to biodiversity management, requiring strategic environmental impact assessments. This study presents a quantitative review of the chain of impacts of OWFs on biota, with a focus on avifauna, and their diagnostic and monitoring methodologies to contribute to sustainable energy policies in Brazil, informing decision-making processes. The research highlights the importance of studying all stages of development of OWFs and future studies to further investigate their impacts on marine biota. In addition, Ecological Niche Modelling (ENM) using the MaxEnt algorithm was applied to seven species of albatrosses and petrels, five of which face extinction threats, to predict species niche suitability and differences in seasonal distribution. ENM was also used to explore niche overlap of six threatened marine cetacean species with Marine Protected Areas, gillnet fisheries and OWF in the southeastern and southern regions of Brazil. In addition, the research identifies biodiversity hotspots of seabirds, cetaceans and the green turtle in the Santos and Campos Marine Basins and proposes spatial prioritizations to guide the expansion of marine protected areas. In this study, two main hotspot areas were distinguished, one in the coastal zone up to 12 nm and the other between the bathymetric ranges of 200 to 1000 m depth. We recommend avoiding OWF installations in coastal zones within 12 nm of the coast and including at least one option outside this threshold in studies of locational alternatives. Also, we emphasize the need for effective marine spatial planning in Brazil to protect marine fauna and their habitats in the face of expanding offshore wind energy exploitation. The integration of ENM and the Richness Index into environmental impact studies is recommended as a tool to improve conservation, environmental planning and impact assessment. Finally, the study advocates efforts to obtain and make available comprehensive information on the distribution of species in space and time, in order to inform species conservation and preservation strategies. |
