Sanjiangyuan "Ecological Power Grid" solves global problems

The Shanshui Nature Conservation Center learned that the "Ecological Grid" construction project is solving the global problem between grid construction and raptor habitat in the Sanjiangyuan area. The latest monitoring shows that the death rate of raptors due to electrocution has dropped significantly, with the number of deaths per kilometer as low as 1.

Birds of prey are the top predators in the Sanjiangyuan ecosystem and play an important role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem. Currently, the birds of prey in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau include the great buzzard, the eagle owl, the peregrine falcon, etc. With the construction of projects such as the interconnection between the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province and the Qinghai main power grid, problems such as birds being electrocuted and power line tripping have also followed in some areas.

Zhao Xiang, director of the Sanjiangyuan Project at the Shanshui Nature Conservation Center, said: "The conflict between power grid construction and raptors has always been a global problem. Raptors need a wide field of vision, so they often choose ordinary poles and tension poles of power grids to roost and stay, which increases the risk of being electrocuted."

"In order to achieve a win-win situation for ecological protection and the development of the Sanjiangyuan power grid, in 2017 we began to transform the original transmission lines into insulated conductors, change 'bird-driving' to 'introducing' birds, and build 'life bird nests' in areas where birds of prey live more often," said Pan Bochao, director of the operation, maintenance and inspection department of the Yushu Power Supply Company of China State Grid.

The Longbao National Nature Reserve in Yushu, Qinghai is an important wetland in the Sanjiangyuan region and a gathering area for raptors and a large number of water birds. The 18-kilometer power grid here was once a high-frequency area where birds were electrocuted and power lines tripped. Currently, the power department has installed 200 "life bird nests" in areas where birds are active.

Pan Bochao introduced that among the 200 bird nests, 114 were found to have signs of raptors nesting, and 32 chicks were hatched in 14 bird nests. Currently, more than 1,200 "life bird nests" have been built in the Sanjiangyuan area of ​​Yushu Prefecture, and the number of birds killed by electric shock is less than one per kilometer. At the same time, the tripping rate of 10kV lines caused by electric shock to birds has been reduced from the original 36.5% to 7%.

It is reported that since 2017, in Yushu Prefecture, the source of the Three Rivers, the power department has invested more than 3 million yuan to implement the "ecological power grid" construction project. In the future, it will continue to observe and analyze the positive impact of artificial bird nests on the ecology of the Three Rivers, and establish "life bird nests" in key grassland degradation areas. By attracting birds of prey to control the number of rodents such as pikas, the natural restoration of grasslands will be achieved.