NGO moves court for migratory bird protection

A Chinese court is hearing a lawsuit that could set a precedent for balancing energy needs with environmental protection. The case involves a high-voltage power project near Poyang Lake, a critical wintering site for numerous migratory bird species, including the endangered Siberian crane and Oriental stork.

The Duoyuan Zhineng Environmental Research Institute, a Beijing-based NGO, filed a public interest lawsuit against the State Grid Corporation of China and the Central and Southern China Electric Power Design Institute. The institute alleges that power lines spanning tens of kilometers and rising nearly 100 meters near the lake threaten wintering bird populations.

The institute requested that the court order the defendants to implement measures to mitigate threats posed by the power lines and compensate for ecological damages. It also demanded a public apology for causing disturbances in the birds' wintering habitat.

Poyang Lake, located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, is China's largest freshwater lake and a vital wintering habitat for many migratory birds. In 2019, Jiangxi province designated the Siberian crane as its provincial bird.

The defendants, the State Grid, argued that the project had incorporated comprehensive protective measures and that incidental disturbances to bird activity were insufficient to harm the local bird population.

They maintained that the lawful construction of the power project did not constitute environmental infringement and that no evidence of ecological damage or liability had been presented.

The Central and Southern China Electric Power Design Institute, another defendant, contended that bird strike prevention measures had been implemented before the lawsuit was filed. It also argued that there was no causal relationship between its environmental assessment and any bird fatalities.

On Nov 28, the Nanchang Intermediate Court convened a seven-member panel to hear the case, which lasted one day. The case has drawn widespread attention to ecological conservation and sustainable development implications.

According to Duoyuan Zhineng, bird experts monitoring the area reported frequent collisions between white cranes and the high-voltage power lines near Nanchang, resulting in fatalities.

The institute claimed that a 20-kilometer-long ultra-highvoltage transmission line constructed around Poyang Lake acts like an "electric wall," obstructing migratory birds' feeding and resting areas.

In one documented incident, a two-year-old crane was found with one wing wholly severed due to a collision with the power lines. The institute further alleged that ongoing construction projects near the lake are linked to the deaths of multiple cranes in the region.

Zhou Haixiang, a renowned animal scholar and former professor at Shenyang Ligong University, noted that aviation warning lights and markers can help reduce collisions under good weather and high visibility.

However, he emphasized that their effectiveness under adverse conditions, such as rain, fog and the dense winter fog common around Poyang Lake, remains unproven.