Renewable energy development threatens many globally important biodiversity areas

Abstract

Transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy is fundamental for halting anthropogenic climate change. However, renewable energy facilities can be landuse intensive and impact conservation areas, and little attention has been given to whether the aggregated effect of energy transitions poses a substantial threat to global biodiversity. Here, we assess the extent of current and likely future renewable energy infrastructure associated with onshore wind, hydropower and solar photovoltaic generation, within three important conservation areas: protected areas (PAs), Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) and Earth's remaining wilderness. We identified 2,206 fully operational renewable energy facilities within the boundaries of these conservation areas, with another 922 facilities under development. Combined, these facilities span and are degrading 886 PAs, 749 KBAs and 40 distinct wilderness areas.Two trends are particularly concerning. First, while the majority of historical overlap occurs in Western Europe, the renewable electricity facilities under development increasingly overlap with conservation areas in Southeast Asia, a globally important region for biodiversity. Second, this next wave of renewable energy infrastructure represents a ~30% increase in the number of PAs and KBAs impacted and could increase the number of compromised wilderness areas by ~60%. If the world continues to rapidly transition towards renewable energy these areas will face increasing pressure to allow infrastructure expansion. Coordinated planning of renewable energy expansion and biodiversity conservation is essential to avoid conflicts that compromise their respective objectives. K E Y W O R D S climate change, climate emergency, conservation planning, energy planning, renewable energy, sustainability, sustainable development | 3041 REHBEIN Et al.

Simulated Photovoltaic Solar Panels Alter the Seed Bank Survival of Two Desert Annual Plant Species

“…Studies of annual seed banks in deserts may be especially useful to study seed bank trait–environment interactions because these environments are characterized by extreme variability in temperature and precipitation [ 9 , 10 ]—variability that increasingly characterizes Earth’s environments. Additionally, many deserts are subject to rapid land-cover changes owing to renewable energy development, notably owing to ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) solar energy [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Although seed bank longevity and composition have been examined in deserts around the world [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ], empirical in situ studies of seed bank trait-environment interactions are few in the context of deserts and, indeed, across all ecosystems ([ 2 , 4 , 5 ] but see [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]).…”

“…In addition to land-use change owing to agriculture and urban expansion, deserts have been recently impacted by ground-mounted solar energy development [ 11 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ]. Solar energy construction and its infrastructure comprised primarily of broad PV panels can facilitate direct and indirect disturbances to the microhabitats of seed banks, notably changes to light, surface temperature, and hydrological regimes.…”

Residents’ Views on Landscape and Ecosystem Services during a Wind Farm Proposal in an Island Protected Area

“…Industrial wind farms, along with other renewable energy developments, can seriously degrade protected areas [111]; our case study shows that efforts to avoid severe negative social impacts and conflict should also be widely initiated. There have been persistent proposals for increasing protected area conservation effectiveness [24], landscape-scale stewardship and long-term visioning [112,113].…”

The Green Versus Green Trap and a Way Forward

“…Germany stands out as the country with the most overlaps between current facilities and important conservation areas, mostly within non-strict protected and key biodiversity areas [16]. In China, finally, most of the overlaps include hydropower plants, while in Spain and Germany they mostly include wind power facilities.…”