Speaker
Description
The shift to renewable energy is transforming rural landscapes, presenting both opportunities and challenges for biodiversity conservation and agricultural sustainability. This study examines the spatial and functional relationships between agricultural land, biodiversity conservation, and ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) deployment in Italy, addressing the "Land Use Gap" emerging from competing land resource demands.
This research evaluates how current land use practices align with the European Union’s biodiversity restoration and renewable energy targets by analyzing three case studies—Ravenna in northern Italy, Viterbo in central Italy, and Brindisi in southern Italy. Each case study illustrates distinct dynamics of land management for energy production. Ravenna features small, scattered PV installations interspersed with a few large facilities. Viterbo presents an extensive energy landscape dominated by large-scale PV fields, while Brindisi integrates medium-sized PV systems within agricultural mosaics.
Findings reveal that while Viterbo surpasses the EU’s PV installation threshold, it falls significantly short of biodiversity targets, leading to land-use conflicts and risks of long-term ecological degradation. In contrast, Ravenna experiences a shortfall in PV deployment and biodiversity integration. Meanwhile, Brindisi’s existing landscape features provide a basis for enhanced biodiversity, but the increasing prevalence of medium-scale PV installations risks homogenizing agricultural patterns.
The expansion of photovoltaic systems necessitates reassessing land management strategies to ensure agricultural viability while mitigating biodiversity loss. Key spatial trends identified include clustering large-scale PV installations in former agrarian areas, leading to soil consumption and the fragmentation of ecological corridors. By quantifying land cover changes and biodiversity indicators, this research highlights the uneven impact of renewable energy expansion on rural landscapes, underscoring the need for targeted interventions that balance energy transition goals with environmental conservation.
A crucial insight from this study is the importance of integrating PV systems within agricultural landscapes rather than displacing farmland. In Ravenna, small-scale PV installations demonstrate a distributed energy production model that can coexist with intensive agriculture, provided that ecological corridors and landscape features are preserved. Viterbo’s case highlights the risks of excessive land conversion, where large contiguous PV fields disrupt traditional agricultural practices and ecological networks. Brindisi shows that medium-scale PV systems can be incorporated within agricultural mosaics, but careful planning is needed to prevent landscape simplification and habitat fragmentation.
By situating the findings within the broader European Green Deal objectives and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, this study provides a conceptual framework for designing sustainable land use planning that harmonizes agricultural, ecological, and energy priorities. A key conclusion is the urgent need to integrate energy planning with territorial planning to address the challenges posed by climate change effectively. We can develop resilient rural landscapes that support environmental and socio-economic sustainability through a coordinated approach that considers land use efficiency, ecological integrity, and energy transition goals.
References
European Commission. Joint Research Centre. (2023) Biodiversity and health: a knowledge synthesis and analysis of the complex connections between biodiversity and health highlighting the relevant EU policies projects and initiatives. LU: Publications Office. Available at: https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/174144 (Accessed: 9 November 2024).
Guidance on Mainstreaming Biodiversity for Nutrition and Health. 1st ed (2022). Geneva: World Health Organization.
Martin, E.A. et al. (2019) ‘The interplay of landscape composition and configuration: new pathways to manage functional biodiversity and agroecosystem services across Europe’, Ecology Letters. Edited by C. Scherber, 22(7), pp. 1083–1094. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13265.
MDC, L.G. et al. (2022) Scientific evidence showing the impacts of nature restoration actions on food productivity. Scientific analysis or review KJ-NA-31137-EN-N (online). Luxembourg (Luxembourg): Publications Office of the European Union. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2760/3032 (online).
Monforti-Ferrario, F. and Pinedo Pascua, I. (eds) (2015) Energy use in the EU food sector: State of play and opportunities for improvement. Luxembourg (Luxembourg): Publications Office of the European Union. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2790/266295 (paper),10.2790/158316 (online).
Perpiñá Castillo, C. et al. (2024) Renewable energy production and potential in EU rural areas. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union (Rural observatory, 31744). Available at: https://doi.org/10.2760/458970.
| Keywords | land use planning, solar energy, biodiversity, agriculture |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
