Line of action:

Knowledge generation and management

Status:

En ejecución

Spatial scale of work:

Extremadura

Line of research:

Energy transition and terrestrial and marine biodiversity

Execution date:

2023

Duration:

01/06/2023 - 30/11/2025

Total budget:

€155,720.68

Amount of aid from the Biodiversity Foundation:

€147,934.65 (95%)

Coordinating entity:

Center for Scientific and Technological Research of Extremadura (CICYTEX)

The deployment of large-scale solar PV infrastructure, despite its advantages, can have negative impacts on the landscape, soil properties, biodiversity and its ability to generate ecosystem services. A promising strategy to mitigate these impacts involves the sustainable management of soil and vegetation cover in these facilities. Extensive livestock farming is a management tool to guarantee the conservation of biodiversity in all its manifestations and scales, as well as being a basic pillar for sustainable rural development and providing multiple social, economic, environmental benefits and a multitude of related ecosystem services. The project aims to create a decision support system that allows photovoltaic plants to be converted into more sustainable facilities, contributing to the creation of ecosystem services through management strategies based on grazing.

Some of the actions included in the project are:

• Development of a Geographic Information System for Photovoltaic Plants in Extremadura.
• Study of the state of the soils and vegetation cover of selected photovoltaic plants.
• Design and implementation of management proposals adapted to each photovoltaic plant under study.
• Study and monitoring of the improvement proposals and their effect on soils and vegetation.
• Validation of the role of grazing and vegetation cover management measures in photovoltaic plants with the key agents in the management of these facilities.
• Training for the implementation of regenerative livestock management and the implementation of other agricultural and livestock management practices.