Eco-crossbar: An Innovative Device for the Protection of Birdlife

As part of the LIFE PowerLines4Birds project, an innovative solution is being implemented to combat one of the main causes of unnatural mortality in birdlife: collisions and electrocutions on medium-voltage power lines. This new solution is Eco-crossbar, a device developed by the LIFE LINES project partners, whose preliminary results showed good prospects when tested on a pilot power line near the city of Évora.

The aim now is to test the effectiveness of Eco-crossbar on a wider sample of power lines in areas of high bird density and high importance for their conservation, the Special Protection Areas of the Natura 2000 Network. The approaches will combine different solutions: Eco-crossbar alone, Eco-crossbar with Combined Solution, and Eco-crossbar with anti-collision signage.

In september 2025, the first Eco-crossbars were installed in areas of the Natura 2000 Network as part of the PowerLines4Birds project. Tejo Internacional was the first SPA to implement them, and the Eco-crossbar with the Combined Solution was installed on four poles along the selected line. In total, 63 km of power lines are planned to be corrected with Eco-crossbar, in its different combinations, with around 37 km to be corrected in 2025 alone. The power line in the Tejo Internacional SPA marks the starting point for the implementation of this innovative solution as part of the PowerLines4Birds project.

The effectiveness of Eco-crossbar lies in its design, which focuses on eliminating the dual risks of bird-line interaction. This is achieved through two key principles:

Electrocution Reduction: Uninsulated conductor cables are suspended below the natural perching area (approximately 1 meter), increasing the safety distance and making the lines difficult to reach for larger birds that land on the pole.

Collision Reduction: The number of cable planes is reduced to just one, which significantly decreases the probability of collision compared to older types, which have 3 planes.

Implementation during the project is essential to understand the technical conditions and limitations of a wider application of this method. By testing these options in Natura 2000 areas, we will obtain crucial information to assess their effectiveness under different conditions and inform E-Redes, a partner in the LIFE PowerLines4Birds project. This and other measures planned in the project not only contribute to ensuring the safety of migratory corridors and vital feeding areas, but also save species that are crucial to our ecosystems.

The partners in this project are the League for the Protection of Nature (LPN), the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA), QUERCUS - National Association for Nature Conservation, the Spanish Ornithological Society (SEO/Birdlife), and E-Redes.