China is the world leader in solar power, but the country’s massive boom in this clean energy source could have unintended consequences for the country’s birds.
Using birdwatching and policy data from more than 2,300 counties across China, a new analysis found that areas with stricter policies enforcing solar energy development have seen decreases in bird diversity over the last 10 years. The study adds to a body of evidence showing the negative impact of industrial development and habitat loss on birds.
“Our results situate solar expansion within the broader, already well-established set of anthropogenic pressures on birds, including habitat loss, agricultural intensification, climate change and land use conversion,” says Huiming Zhang, an associate professor at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology in China and lead author on the study.
On supporting science journalism
If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
Constructing solar power plants can affect the vegetation and landscape around them—including the creatures that live there. Curiously, the researchers found that even in areas where planners had attempted to plant new vegetation in the wake of a solar farm being built, it didn’t mitigate bird diversity loss—a result of what the researchers call “inferior greening.”
The analysis, which published today in Science, will hopefully help to “reconcile energy and conservation goals” in China and elsewhere in the world, Zhang says.
“The lesson is not to slow the energy transition. It is to steer large solar projects toward locations with lower ecological conflict, subject to assessment of each site, and to build biodiversity safeguards into projects from the start.”
The study has its limitations. Ken Rosenberg, a conservation scientist at Cornell University who was not involved in the research, says bird diversity measures can be misleading, as they can obscure how well a specific local bird population is actually doing. Future research might look at bird population numbers instead, he says.
That said, the analysis is the first he has seen that has looked at the relationship between solar policy and biodiversity on a national level. “You don’t want to trade one crisis for another,” Rosenberg says.
“If you’re only looking at energy policy and renewable energy, you could set up these policies and make these decisions without realizing that you’re doing more harm than good in other aspects of the environment. Biodiversity often takes a backseat.”
It’s Time to Stand Up for Science
If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.
SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.
If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.
In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can’t-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world’s best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.
