It is often assumed that offshore wind farms have a negative impact on marine animal populations but researchers from Denmark and the Netherlands have found that, in some cases, wind farms can act as a haven for certain species.

The researchers, from Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands and Aarhus University in Denmark, monitored harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) activity on a Dutch wind farm and found a significant and surprising increase in activity compared with levels before the wind farm was built.