| ASSESSING POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF SOLAR POWER FACILITIES ON WILDLIFE UTILIZING ANIMAL BEHAVIOR RESEARCH |
| Rachel Y Chock; San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research; rchock@sandiegozoo.org; Barbara Clucas, Elizabeth K. Peterson, Bradley F. Blackwell, Daniel T. Blumstein, Kathleen Church, Esteban Fernandez-Juricic, Gabriel Francescoli, Alison Greggor, Paul Kemp, Gabriela Pinho; Peter M. Sanzenbacher, Bruce A. Schulte; Pauline Toni |
| Utility-scale solar power is a rapidly expanding renewable energy source with great potential to help meet increasing global energy demands. Solar facilities have large footprints across previously undeveloped habitat in areas of high solar radiation, particularly the American Southwest. Despite the scale of this industry, research is scarce on how construction and operation of solar power facilities affect wildlife. The Animal Behavior Society Conservation Behavior Committee conducted a research-prioritization process to identify key questions to better understand how wildlife is affected by solar facilities and how behavioral data can be used to mitigate negative impacts. Behavioral responses are often the most visible signs of detrimental effects, as behavioral shifts are usually an animal's first response to environmental change. We asked professionals in the fields of ecology, conservation, and energy to identify important research questions via an online survey, then held a workshop to reduce and clarify these questions. The priority research areas that emerged from this process included animal perception of solar facilities, movement, habitat use, and interspecific interactions. We hope our findings encourage prioritization of further research on understudied topics to better understand the impacts of solar power on wildlife and guide future mitigation. |
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