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China’s solar expansion linked to declines in bird diversity

A study published in Science says solar buildout reduced birds’ foraging and breeding habitat and left remaining areas more fragmented.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Trade & Tariffs

A new international study links China’s rapid solar expansion to reduced bird diversity, with losses concentrated in wealthier and non-desert regions, according to research led by teams in China and the US.

The researchers found that solar development has taken up birds’ foraging and breeding grounds and that leftover habitat has become more fragmented, creating a tension between China’s carbon reduction push and biodiversity conservation efforts.

The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Science on Friday, and the authors cautioned that renewable energy policy can create unintended ecological damage without careful spatial planning.

The team also identified what it calls “inferior greening,” where increases in leaf area do not necessarily translate into better wildlife habitat, and argued that ecological health measures may need to be rethought in the context of renewable energy expansion.

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