The report Accommodating Biodiversity in Nordic Offshore Wind Projects is being launched, presenting instructive experiences from the North and Baltic Seas of how to integrate biodiversity needs in the development and management of offshore wind projects.

By signing up to the launch event, you get insight into the environmental benefits and concerns regarding the growing wind energy industry at sea.

Renewable energy is a key component in fulfilling national as well as international commitments against climate change. In the Nordic region, the North and Baltic Seas have tremendous wind resources to support the planned twentyfold increase in installed capacity of European offshore wind power.

At the same time, the expanding offshore wind industry will put pressure on natural resources and create new challenges for spatial planning. While scaling up renewable energy generation, we must simultaneously ensure minimal environmental impact, or even achieve a net-positive impact, via active measures to protect and enhance biodiversity.

Accommodating Biodiversity in Nordic Offshore Wind Projects exemplifies how large-scale deployment of renewable energy can take place in balance with nature. The examples herein aim at informing regulators, developers, and the public with a view to increase the share of renewable energy in the Nordic energy system, while ensuring that biodiversity is conserved for the future. The recommended actions are based on a review of literature, five case studies, and interviews with Nordic as well as international stakeholders representing offshore wind operators, manufacturers, regulators, scientific institutions, and NGOs.

At the event, keynote speakers will elaborate on the issues covered in the report, followed by a panel discussion. The keynote speakers are:

• Marte Rusten, Principal Consultant at DNV, and author of Accommodating Biodiversity in Nordic Offshore Wind Projects
• Rachel Asante, Programme Manager at IUCN
• Jan-Willem van Bochove, Senior Principal Consultant at The Biodiversity Consultancy, and co-author of Mitigating biodiversity impacts associated with solar and wind energy development
• Dean Cooper, Global Lead, Energy Transition at WWF, and member of CLEANaction
• Tris Allinson, Senior Global Science Officer at BirdLife, and member of the Energy Task Force
• Joseph Kiesecker PhD, Lead Scientist, Director Development by Design at The Nature Conservancy
• Miao Hong, Director, Sustainable Invest Program at WRI China