Assessing the Role of Solar Parks as Biodiversity Refugia in Agricultural Landscapes
Author
Andreasen, Charlotte Anni Damsgaard
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-06-10
Abstract
Large, utility-scale solar parks are expanding rapidly, which raises concerns about their effects on biodiversity – the variety of species in an area. At the same time, solar parks can offer opportunities for ecological restoration, because agricultural disturbance is reduced and the area can develop more varied habitats. This study investigated whether solar parks can act as refuges for biodiversity in agricultural landscapes by using soil environmental DNA (eDNA). Environmental DNA is small traces of genetic material in the soil that can be used to identify which organisms are present. The solar park differed from the surrounding farmland in both environmental conditions and biodiversity patterns, suggesting that changes in management, vegetation cover and soil properties have already influenced how communities of organisms are assembled. Community analyses showed that the solar park supports taxa typically associated with semi-natural habitats, while still retaining elements of its former agricultural community. The results indicate that the solar park has characteristics that are intermediate between cultivated fields and freshwater meadows, supporting its potential role as a transitional habitat and a refugium for biodiversity. However, different taxonomic groups responded in different ways, highlighting the complexity of biodiversity responses and the need for long-term studies to assess the overall ecological impact of solar park development.
Store solparker er blevet langt mere udbredte, og det skaber bekymring for, hvordan de påvirker biodiversiteten – altså variationen af arter i naturen. Samtidig kan solparker også være en mulighed for at genskabe mere natur, fordi jordbruget intensiveres mindre, og fordi området kan få mere varierede levesteder. I denne undersøgelse blev solparkers potentiale som tilflugtssteder for biodiversitet i landbrugsområder vurderet ved hjælp af miljø-DNA (eDNA) fra jorden. Miljø-DNA er små rester af genetisk materiale i jord, som kan bruges til at se, hvilke organismer der findes i området. Solparken adskilte sig fra det omkringliggende landbrugsareal både i miljøforhold og i mønstre for biodiversitet, hvilket tyder på, at ændret drift, anden vegetation og nye jordforhold allerede har påvirket sammensætningen af arter. Analysen af samfundene viste, at solparken rummer arter, der normalt forbindes med halvnaturtyper, samtidig med at nogle elementer fra den tidligere landbrugsnatur er bevaret. Resultaterne peger på, at solparken har egenskaber, der ligger mellem dyrkede marker og ferske enge, og at den derfor kan fungere som et overgangshabitat og et fristed for biodiversitet. Samtidig reagerede forskellige grupper af organismer forskelligt, hvilket understreger, at biodiversitet er kompleks, og at der er behov for langsigtede studier for at vurdere den samlede økologiske betydning af solparker.
[This abstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords