Final published version
Licence: CC BY: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - On‐site floral resources and surrounding landscape characteristics impact pollinator biodiversity at solar parks
AU - Blaydes, H.
AU - Potts, S. G.
AU - Whyatt, J. D.
AU - Armstrong, A.
PY - 2024/3/31
Y1 - 2024/3/31
N2 - There is increasing land use change for solar parks and growing recognition that they could be used to support insect pollinators. However, understanding of pollinator response to solar park developments is limited and empirical data are lacking. We combine field observations with landcover data to quantify the impact of on‐site floral resources and surrounding landscape characteristics on solar park pollinator abundance and species richness. We surveyed pollinators and flowering plants at 15 solar parks across England in 2021, used a landcover map to assess the surrounding high‐quality habitat and aerial imagery to measure woody linear features (hedgerows, woodland edges and lines of trees). In total, 1397 pollinators were recorded, including 899 butterflies (64%), 171 hoverflies (12%), 161 bumble bees (12%), 157 moths (11%), and nine honeybees (
AB - There is increasing land use change for solar parks and growing recognition that they could be used to support insect pollinators. However, understanding of pollinator response to solar park developments is limited and empirical data are lacking. We combine field observations with landcover data to quantify the impact of on‐site floral resources and surrounding landscape characteristics on solar park pollinator abundance and species richness. We surveyed pollinators and flowering plants at 15 solar parks across England in 2021, used a landcover map to assess the surrounding high‐quality habitat and aerial imagery to measure woody linear features (hedgerows, woodland edges and lines of trees). In total, 1397 pollinators were recorded, including 899 butterflies (64%), 171 hoverflies (12%), 161 bumble bees (12%), 157 moths (11%), and nine honeybees (
KW - renewable energy
KW - biodiversity
KW - solar park
KW - land use change
KW - pollinator
KW - conservation
U2 - 10.1002/2688-8319.12307
DO - 10.1002/2688-8319.12307
M3 - Journal article
VL - 5
JO - Ecological Solutions and Evidence
JF - Ecological Solutions and Evidence
SN - 2688-8319
IS - 1
M1 - e12307
ER -