Nesting and Migratory bird count in the Mangystau oblast on the background of large wind- and solar energy projects in order to produce green hydrogen.

The first Birds and Wildlife Camp in Mangystau Oblast last year yielded significant findings. It identified two crucial sites for migrating water birds – Kendirli Bay and Karakol Lake – qualifying them as wetlands of international importance with more than 20.000 water birds counted (potential Ramsar sites). Furthermore, the camp documented the migration of over 100 rare raptors, highlighting the region's significance for raptor conservation.

The Ustyurt plateau and Mangyshlak Peninsula emerged as a vital area for migratory birds and mammals, emphasizing the need for extensive biodiversity monitoring across the vast Mangystau Oblast. This need is particularly crucial given the Hyrasia One project, which plans large-scale wind and solar power plant development for "green hydrogen" production.

The camp recognized the urgent need to balance renewable energy development with biodiversity conservation. It proposed prioritizing existing oil and gas industrial zones for further development. This approach minimizes environmental impact by leveraging existing infrastructure and locating development near existing settlements.

The Mangystau Oblast lies in the heart of the Central Asian-Indian Flyway, making it crucial to understand the potential impact of wind farm development on bird migration. The planned 2nd Birds and Wildlife Camp aims to expand upon the initial findings by conducting more extensive surveys to gain a comprehensive understanding of biodiversity across the Oblast. It is planned to place observation groups along an east-west transect about 10 km from each other in order to count migratory birds in a broad front. This approach will help to identifying additional critical migration corridors for birds and providing valuable data to inform sustainable development plans that prioritize both renewable energy needs and the protection of ecologically sensitive areas. By collaborating with different stakeholders, the camp participants can advocate for responsible development that minimizes environmental impact while achieving clean energy goals.

Provide meaningful field data for a coalition of nature conservation NGOs. They will use the results of the camps to influence political decision makers, in order to design green hydrogen production in Mangystau Oblast and beyond with a minimum negative influence on biodiversity. We plan to conduct (online) round table discussion and also involve the Green Hydrogen Diplomacy Dialogue active in Kazakhstan (https://h2diplo.de/).

We plan to publish the findings both via social media, publicly accessible data bases as well as scientific publications. Thus we hope to reach the scientific and local community, relevant local and international nature conservation bodies as well as political decision makers.

Most so far selected areas for wind and solar energy production show a high or very high value for biodiversity and specifically migratory animals.