Terns are small, fast-flying, agile pelagic birds that live most of their lives offshore; however, during their breeding season, they gather in large nesting colonies in the deserts of Chile and Peru.
In recent years, a series of threats to these birds have been identified, which has led to the development of the Plan for the Recovery, Conservation and Management of Terns in Northern Chile (RECOGE Plan from Environmental Ministry). Within these threats, one of the most relevant is the development of mining and energy projects on breeding sites, which may involve the destruction of their nesting habitat.
In this context, a possible environmental management measure to compensate for impacts on tern populations is the creation of artificial nests with the aim of increasing the supply of cavities for their reproduction. Enel Green Power & Thermal Generation Chile, through its HSEQ Environment area, contracted the services of the Red de Observadores de Aves y Vida Silvestre de Chile (ROC) with the aim of developing a conceptual design of artificial nests for these species, as well as to evaluate the feasibility of its implementation in northern Chile.
This measure is part of ENEL's Biodiversity Policy, which establishes that, in the event of residual impacts, compensatory measures must be implemented that respect the principle of No Net Loss on Biodiversity; principle that is consistent with the Energy Policy of the Government of Chile 2050.
Attached you can download the final report of this first stage: "Conceptual design of artificial nests for terns in northern Chile".