Landscape Impact Plan (LBP) for Wind Turbines
The LBP (Landschaftspflegerischer Begleitplan) is the formal documentation of the environmental impact on nature and landscape caused by the wind turbine construction, together with the corresponding compensatory and replacement measures. It fulfils the impact regulation requirements under Section 15 of the Federal Nature Conservation Act (BNatSchG) and is a mandatory component of every BImSchG application.
What does the LBP contain?
- Baseline survey: Vegetation, biotope types, habitat structures at the site and in the extended impact zone
- Impact description: Area/volume losses from foundation, crane pad, access road, cable trench, transitional phase
- Impact balance following state-specific methodology (biotope scoring, points-based model)
- Avoidance and mitigation measures (e.g. construction timing restrictions, protective fencing)
- Compensatory and replacement measures: ecological enhancement of areas outside the impact site
- Compensation balance: comparison of value points — impact vs. compensation; target at least 1:1, often with a surcharge
Typical impact footprint per turbine
| Element | Permanent sealing | Temporary (construction) |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | approx. 400–600 m² | — |
| Crane pad | approx. 1,500–2,500 m² | additional 1,000–2,000 m² |
| Access road (new build) | 200–400 m × 4 m wide | — |
| Cable trench | construction only | 3 m working strip per 100 m |
| Total per turbine | 2,500–4,500 m² | 1,500–3,500 m² |
Impact-compensation balance in the LBP — compensation in biotope value points must reach at least 1:1
Typical compensatory measures
- De-sealing of disused traffic or farmyard surfaces
- Planting hedgerows, field copses, orchard meadows on intensively used arable land
- Renaturalisation of streams, floodplains, wetlands
- Extensification of arable land to species-rich grassland or fallow
- Habitat enhancement for target species (e.g. skylark plots, lapwing plots)
- Purchase of eco-credits from certified eco-accounts (where own land is unavailable)
What does the LBP cost?
Indicative range: EUR 8,000 – 25,000 for the LBP preparation. Factors:
- Number of turbines + size of the planning area
- Site complexity (forest vs. open land)
- Own compensation land search required vs. eco-credit purchase
In addition, the compensation costs for the measures themselves: typically EUR 20,000–150,000 per wind farm, depending on impact size and type of measures chosen.
Who prepares this?
Landscape/environmental planning offices, often as a package together with the EIA screening and, where applicable, the full EIA. Where the impact balance is tight, a firm with its own nature conservation land holdings for direct compensation land brokering is advantageous.
LBP for your wind farm
We connect you with a landscape planning office experienced in BImSchG applications — including eco-credit brokering if desired.
Request a quoteFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between compensation and replacement?
Compensation = like-for-like restoration in the same natural area. Replacement = equivalent measure at a different location. For major impacts, a combination is common — smaller measures on-site, larger enhancement in the wider natural area.
Can eco-credits from other federal states be used?
Rarely — most federal states require eco-credits from the same natural area or the respective state. North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony are somewhat more flexible; Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg are stricter.
How does the LBP work for repowering?
For repowering, a new impact balance is required — the old turbine was already an impact; the new one constitutes a new impact. However, decommissioning the old turbine can partly count as compensation (de-sealing of the old foundation area).
What happens if the impact is not compensable?
In that case, a substitute payment under Section 15(6) BNatSchG applies — a monetary amount paid to the nature conservation authority, which uses it for compensatory measures. In practice this is rare for wind turbines — the impact is usually regionally compensable.