Wildlife hazard management programmes result in substantial savings for airports, a study in the journal Nature has found. The study estimates that the savings achieved from wildlife hazard management programmes are seven times greater than the costs thanks to a reduction.
The study, “Estimating the impact of airport wildlife hazards management on realized wildlife strike risk”, looked at civil and military records between 2005 and 2021, covering 24 airports across the United States. These records included disclosure of repair and other costs associated with the incidents.
The study then compared airports which use the US Department of Agriculture’s wildlife hazard management programme with those that do not. Where airports adopted this programme during the period covered by the study, the authors also compared the number and cost of strike incidents during the periods before and after wildlife management commenced.
The study found that use of the wildlife hazard management programme was “associated with a decrease in wildlife strike costs, indicating a management-induced reduction in realized wildlife strike risk.” Between 2008 and 2021, this resulted in an average cost saving of $147.3 million, whereas the cost of the program was only $19.4 million. The study also notes that the savings were not evenly distributed across the study period, but rather increased year-on-year, illustrating that the benefits of robust wildlife risk management grow over time.
These findings underline the fact that bird strike prevention is an extremely worthwhile investment for airports. Scarecrow Group provides a range of products for airports, using bio-acoustic technology for powerful and cost-effective dispersal of birds to prevent expensive strikes. We also provide advanced data logging solutions, helping airports to easily meet their reporting requirements, and to track the effectiveness of their strategies both to see the benefits for themselves and to identify potential improvements.
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