Birds across Eastern England's arable landscapes are thriving on solar farms managed with nature in mind.
Research by scientists from the RSPB and University of Cambridge as part of the Centre for Landscape Regeneration has found that UK solar farms managed for nature could benefit birds, including threatened species like Corn Buntings, Greenfinches, Yellowhammers, and Linnets.
The UK is committed to reaching net zero by 2050, which means moving from fossil fuels to clean energy such as solar and wind. Areas of land devoted to solar farms are increasing but are sometimes assumed to be bad for nature.
"Our study shows that if you manage solar energy production in a certain way, not only are you providing clean energy but benefitting biodiversity," said Dr Catherine Waite, researcher at the University of Cambridge, and co-author of the study.
Read the full news item by Paul Casciato on the University of Cambridge website:
https://www.cam.ac.uk/www.cam.ac.uk/stories/solar-biodiversity-birds
Read the publication in the journal Bird Study here
Read the article in the Guardian here
Read the article on the BBC here
Read in the article in The Conversation here
Hear the intervview in Farning Today here
Photo of a linnet by flevo birdwatching on Unsplash