Nature Advisory starts marine fauna survey program for the Gippsland-01 Offshore Wind Farm

In November 2024, Nature Advisory began marine fauna surveys at a proposed offshore wind farm site in Bass Strait. The site is being developed by Orsted to provide 2.8 GW of renewable electricity by the early 2030s. Over the next two years, Nature Advisory will conduct monthly boat-based surveys of the site. Our team of experienced seabird ornithologists is making observations of birds, marine mammals, and any other notable fauna to estimate species presence, abundance and distribution, and the flight heights necessary for collision risk modelling. Nature Advisory partners with HiDef Aerial Surveying Ltd, who are conducting concurrent aerial surveys of the site. 

The results will help to inform a wind farm design that minimises impacts on marine fauna, and to quantify the impacts of the farm once in operation. These surveys are a vital step in protecting Bass Strait’s unique marine environment and for providing environmental impact assessments to the client and government. 

Nature Advisory is proud to contribute to the protection of marine biodiversity and the future of renewable energy in Australia.