A critical part of our eco-system, bats are the new canary in the coal mine for grid-scale wind turbines. With turbines now larger, it’s about to get worse.

CBC Radio has published a story on Canada’s bat population and how severe the risk is to bats, particularly from grid-scale wind turbines.

Researchers say “migratory bats in Canada are in desperate need of protection because wind turbines have been slaughtering their populations for decades.”

“We are not talking about if these migratory bats go extinct. We are just talking about when,” said Cori Lausen, director of bat conservation with the Wildlife Conservation Society, based out of B.C., in an interview with CBC Radio.

This is important news to consider as Ontario seeks more generation capacity for the electricity grid, and, despite 20 years of expensive, intermittent performance, is open to new wind power sites. Of 19 recent wind power proposals, three look to be going ahead in Ontario’s northern areas, where there is both forests and farmland.

An excerpt from the interview:

“Why bats are important

Bats are hugely important for farmers and ranchers. They devour all sorts of insects, giving farmers the option not to use pesticides on their crops or grasslands.

“I cannot imagine what the insect population would have been if there hadn’t been this population of bats,” said Julia Palmer, a rancher in Pincher Creek, Alta.

According to a research paper published in the journal Science in 2024 , a die off in the bat population often led to farmers having to use more pesticides. Higher rates of infant mortality also followed.”

Read the story here and follow a link to the radio program here: Wind turbines keep killing bats in Canada. Advocates say this needs to change | CBC Radio