The Renewables Environmental Research Initiative

This project will review existing research to provide guidance for 17 threatened ecological communities (TECS) listed under the EPBC Act. These are:

• New England peppermint (Eucalyptus nova-anglica) grassy woodlands
• Semi-evergreen vine thickets of the Brigalow Belt (North and South) and Nandewar bioregions
• Seasonal herbaceous wetlands (freshwater) of the temperate lowland plains
• Lowland native grasslands of Tasmania
• Banksia woodlands of the Swan coastal plain
• Natural grasslands on basalt and fine-textured alluvial plains of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland
• Peppermint box (Eucalyptus odorata) grassy woodland of South Australia
• Natural grasslands of the Queensland Central Highlands and northern Fitzroy basin
• Brigalow (Acacia harpophylla dominant and co-dominat)
• Weeping myall woodlands
• Eucalypt woodlands for the Western Australian wheatbelt
• Iron-grass natural temperate grassland of South Australia
• Natural temperate grassland of the Victorian volcanic plain
• Natural grasslands of the Murray Valley plains
• Grey box (Eucalyptus microcarpa) grassy woodland and derived native grasslands of South-eastern Australia
• White box-Yellow box-Blakely's red gum grassy woodland and derived native grassland
• Coolibah – Black box woodlands of the Darling Riverine plains and the Brigalow Belt South bioregions.

A piece of guidance will be developed for each TEC. This will cover:

• survey methods
• significant and unacceptable impacts
• avoidance and mitigation strategies
• suitable offset approaches.

This work will support efficient and robust environmental assessments for new developments.

This project will fill knowledge gaps for pinnipeds, targeting three species listed under the EPBC Act:

• Long-nosed fur seal
• Australian fur seal
• Australian sea lion.

The project will identify biologically important areas for the species, and provide best practice management measures and guidance to support faster decision making.

Drawing on international literature and a review of other nations’ environmental regulatory frameworks for assessing and managing potential impacts to cetaceans from offshore wind developments, the project will develop:

1. Guidance for assessing, mitigating, and managing potential impacts on cetaceans.
2. Population assessments and a risk framework, focusing on the southern right whale and blue whale.
3. A long-term cetacean monitoring framework.

This project is complete. We are considering next steps. 

This project will develop a consistent regulatory guidance framework. It will populate this framework for 8 threatened species. The framework will include:

1. contemporary ecological science
2. impact assessment methods
3. mitigation measures according to the mitigation hierarchy
4. significant impacts and methods to quantity impacts
5. offset suitability assessment and offset delivery measures.

This will support best-practice assessment of environmental impacts using robust and science-based methods.

This project will develop standardised tools for assessing habitat quality in Victoria for up to 16 species.

Standardised assessment methods support consistent and robust approaches to developing and monitoring offsets. This work will help proponents and regulators design and assess proposed developments in ways that reduces impacts. It will also support more efficient assessments.

This project will fill knowledge gaps for 5 species of parrots:

• Orange-bellied Parrot
• Swift Parrot
• Blue-winged Parrot
• Regent Parrot
• Superb Parrot.

The research focus will vary for each species, ranging from desktop studies to fieldwork. This will include investigation of movement patterns, flight heights, flight speed, and identify key habitat such as nesting sites. This information will help to identify best practice mitigation measures to support more efficient and effective environmental assessments for proposed onshore and offshore wind farms.

The behaviour of many invertebrates such as insects can be influenced by environmental noise and vibration. This may make them sensitive to noises and vibrations.

This project will review research about how wind farm noise and vibration may affect invertebrates. The review will include research from Australia and globally. It will also identify where we need more research.

This work will help proponents and regulators design and assess projects in ways that reduce impacts.

This project will build on the findings of Ground-truthing of EPBC Act offset site information summary report (2024) to evaluate the degree to which environmental offsets are achieving the objectives of the EPBC Act Environmental Offsets Policy (2012).

The project will:

• assist EPBC Act approval holders to understand and meet their environmental offset obligations
• improve confidence in integrity of offsets
• inform guidance on offset management plans.

This project is complete. We are considering next steps. 

This project:

• evaluated how cumulative impacts were addressed in environmental regulation, both in Australia and internationally.
• produced a comprehensive report and practical recommendation for incorporating cumulative impact assessments more effectively into Australia’s environmental decision-making.

This will strengthen transparency, integrity, and long-term biodiversity outcomes, to make sure the right projects go in the right places.

This project will address longer-term research priorities to improve understanding of population trends in albatrosses and petrels and the potential impacts offshore wind developments in Australia may have on these species. The research will:

• improve understanding of the size, structure and long-term population trends for albatrosses and petrels breeding and foraging in Australia.
• improve understanding of the potential impacts to albatrosses and petrels from offshore wind farms and how to best manage them.
• translate findings into targeted, accessible regulatory guidance to assist developers in designing impact avoidance and mitigation strategies for offshore renewable energy activities.

This project is partially complete. A supplementary gap analysis report will be delivered focusing on shorebird areas that were not included in the Directory. 

Explore the outcomes of this project at the Directory of Important Migratory Shorebird Habitat.

The project covered 37 migratory shorebirds species that visit and live in Australia. It included:

• an update to the Directory of Important Migratory Shorebird habitat
• a scientific report estimating the East Asian – Australasian Flyway shorebird populations
• an online spatial tool supporting the Directory.

The Cetacean Sightings Application (CSA) is the Australian Government’s system for recording and reporting cetacean detections for marine operations and associated survey data during marine seismic surveys.

The CSA was developed in 2008 and requires upgrading to ensure it remains user-friendly and fit-for-purpose.

This project will modernise the CSA to:

1. Replace the existing system – the current application is at end of life and built on legacy technology.
2. Expand functionality – to include additional noise-generating activities (e.g. offshore wind construction).
3. Improve data accessibility – to make data easier to access, visualise and analyse.

This upgrade will support improved environmental assessment, decision-making and compliance under the EPBC Act.

This project will research the accuracy of bat fatality estimate models from collision impacts.

This work will:

• compare different ways to estimate bat fatalities.
• support the development of best practice monitoring standards.

This will support robust and streamlined monitoring approaches to protect Australia’s bats.

This project will collect and analyse fatality monitoring data for birds and bats from operational Australian wind farms. This will:

• provide a better estimate of the potential fatality impacts on bird and bat species from collision with wind turbines.
• provide a better understanding of the drivers of such fatality incidents.
• support the development of best practice fatality monitoring standards.

This will support streamlined approval conditions while ensuring Australia’s biodiversity is protected.

This project is reviewing Australian and global research on potential impacts to birds from large-scale solar projects.

Emerging research suggests some migrating birds may mistake the reflective surfaces of solar panels with water bodies, such as wetland habitat. Birds may become stranded if attracted to panels or injured from collision with them when landing.

This project will identify effective avoidance and mitigation strategies to reduce potential impacts. This will improve certainty for proponents and regulators under the EPBC Act.

This project is complete. Read the new report: Southern bent-wing bat: A review of current knowledge, and remaining knowledge gaps, relevant to wind farms. 

The report summarises knowledge about the southern bent-wing bat to support efficient assessments. It provides information to better understand:

• their ecology
• their movement patterns
• potential impacts to them from collision with wind turbines
• mitigations to reduce potential impacts
• remaining knowledge gaps.

This project will deliver research and guidance for 4 species listed under the EPBC Act that may be impacted by renewable energy developments:

• Regent Honeyeater
• Southern Whiteface
• Grey Snake
• Pygmy Blue-tongue Lizard.

The project aims to:

• identify important habitat and important areas for persistence and recovery
• estimate population sizes and distributions
• outline information required to undertake collision risk assessment (where applicable)
• investigate species behaviour (e.g., flight paths and heights) and traits (e.g., size, wingspan and flight speed).

The project findings will be used to develop detailed research reports for each species. This will support more efficient and effective environmental assessments for proposed developments.

This project will deliver research and guidance for 7 species listed under the EPBC Act that may be impacted by renewable energy developments:

• Australasian Bittern
• Gang Gang Cockatoo
• South-eastern Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
• Latham’s Snipe
• Plains Wanderer
• Painted Snipe
• Grey-headed Flying-fox.

The project aims to:

• create species distribution and habitat suitability models
• understand the flight paths between roosting and foraging areas
• identify important breeding areas
• investigate relationships between habitat availability and reproductive success
• identify migration patterns.

The project findings will be used to develop detailed research reports for each species. This will support more efficient and effective environmental assessments for proposed developments.

This project will deliver research and guidance for the Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle and Masked Owl (Tasmanian). These species are listed under the EPBC Act and may be impacted by renewable energy developments. 

The project aims to:

• quantify time spent within wind turbine rotor-swept zones
• investigate drivers of flight altitude
• explore flight responses to wind turbines
• develop spatial models of collision risk hotspots.

The project findings will be used to develop detailed research reports for each species. This will support more efficient and effective environmental assessments for proposed developments.

This project will deliver research and guidance for 5 species listed under the EPBC Act. These species may be impacted by renewable energy developments:

• Sharp-tailed Sandpiper
• Curlew Sandpiper
• Eastern Curlew
• Red Goshawk
• White-throated Needletail.

The project aims to:

• identify important habitat (including habitat for persistence and recovery)
• estimate population sizes and distributions
• inform collision risk models
• inform the development of Population Viability Analysis
• investigate species behaviour in relation to renewable energy developments.

The project findings will be used to develop detailed research reports for each species. This will support more efficient and effective environmental assessments for proposed developments.

This project will deliver research and guidance for 5 species listed under the EPBC Act. These species may be impacted by renewable energy developments:

• Glossy Black Cockatoo
• Forest Red-tailed Black Cockatoo
• Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo
• Baudin’s Black Cockatoo
• Pink Cockatoo (eastern).

The project aims to:

• identify ecological requirements and constraints
• identify likely susceptibility to direct and indirect impacts from renewable energy projects, including associated infrastructure
• consider effective avoidance, mitigation and management measures
• identify suitable offset pathways (direct and indirect).

The project findings will be used to develop detailed research reports for each species. This will support more efficient and effective environmental assessments for proposed developments.

This project will deliver research and guidance for 9 species listed under the EPBC Act. These species may be impacted by renewable energy developments:

• Large-eared Pied Bat
• Arnhem’s Leaf-nosed Bat
• Semon’s Leaf-nosed Bat
• Ghost Bat
• Corben’s Long-eared Bat
• Large-eared Horseshoe Bat
• Pilbara Leaf-nosed Bat
• Bare-rumped Sheath-tailed Bat
• Tasmanian Devil.

The project aims to:

• identify and map important habitat, including diurnal roosts, major foraging areas and key movement corridors
• estimate species relative abundance and spatial distributions
• investigate behavioural ecology including nightly movement patterns, flight heights and how the species respond to renewable energy developments
• outline ecological and demographic parameters to inform collision risk modelling and Population Viability Analysis.

The project findings will be used to develop detailed research reports for each species. This will support more efficient and effective environmental assessments for proposed developments.

This project will undertake targeted research to address key knowledge and information gaps for three species of threatened Gliders:

• Greater Glider (southern and central)
• Greater Glider (northern)
• Yellow-bellied Glider (south-eastern).

Research outputs from the project will inform the development of regulatory guidance products which will help communicate the department’s regulatory expectations for glider assessments, leading to more robust, effective regulation.

This project updated 2 reports:

• Impacts on birds from offshore wind farms in Australia
• Impacts to birds and bats from onshore wind farms.

The project provides more information about ecological traits of birds and bats (such as flight height) to inform an assessment of risk of impact from wind farms. It provides information to assist proponents to reduce their impacts on birds and bats.

The project will identify Australian marine species that may be affected by artificial light from offshore developments, such as wind farms. It will consider a range of marine mammals, including whales, dolphins and seals, that are not currently covered in the National Light Pollution Guidelines for Wildlife (2023). The project will:

• provide a literature review summarising existing international and domestic research
• identify which species are or are not adversely affected by artificial light
• provide updates the CMS International Light Pollution for Migratory Species Guidelines and the National Light Pollution Guidelines for Wildlife (2023) with guidance on avoidance and mitigation measures for marine species not yet addressed.