Survey of the impacts of solar power plants on birds over the fernas-4 solar power plant

Any structure built in or near natural habitats is likely to affect wildlife, especially if certain standards are not followed. The large increase in investments in solar power plants in recent years has made it necessary to investigate the environmental effects of solar power plants. Birds, which are an advanced class of vertebrate animals, can also be exposed to these effects as an important element of wildlife. When the researches are examined, it is seen that solar power plants have the potential to have negative effects on birds. The effects of solar power plants on birds are mainly (i) habitat loss, (ii) disturbance and displacement, (iii) death effect and (iv) barrier effect. In this study, the effects of the FERNAS-4 Solar Power Plant, which is a Photovoltaic (PV) solar power plant, on birds were investigated with the help of the square method by evaluating the data obtained by monitoring for a year, including the construction and operation stages. For the impact analysis, observations were made for 37 days selected in different seasons between September 2020 and February 2022; Data were collected in order to group the ornithofauna, identify the birds breeding in the region, evaluate the mortality effect, and measure the habitat loss. As a result of the 37-day observations carried out between 29.09.2020 and 17.02.2022 in the FERNAS-4 Solar Power Plant, its surroundings and the Bayır Dam Pond area, a total of 105 species belonging to 38 families from 17 orders were identified. Of the species identified during the monitoring studies, 38 are local (L), 20 are winter visitor (WV), 26 are transit migrant (T) and 21 are summer visitor (SV). Of the 105 species identified during the surveys, 17 waterfowls are found only in the Bayır Dam Pond area. While 51 of the remaining 88 species can also be seen within the borders of the plant site, 37 species have been encountered only in the undisturbed (unconverted) area in the immediate vicinity of the plant site. A total of 8869 individuals were identified during the observations in the FERNAS-4 Solar Power Plant, its immediate surroundings and the Bayır Dam Pond area. Of these individuals, 771 were recorded only in the Bayır Dam Pond area. 8089 individuals were recorded in the power plant area and its immediate surroundings. 1264 of these individuals were seen within the power plant area or while passing over the field boundaries. During the monitoring studies, carcass scanning activities were carried out around the panels, infrastructural facilities, powerhouse and wire fences in the power plant site, but no dead or injured individuals belonging to any bird species were found. At the time of observation, there was no evidence that the FERNAS-4 Solar Power plant caused a death effect on birds. Therefore, no finding could be obtained to confirm the Lake Effect Hypothesis. However, in terms of ornithofauna, a significant difference was detected in the central area and its immediate surroundings. In the observations made for one year at the power plant, which entered the operating period with the end of the construction works, only 42 of the 88 species detected in the power plant area and its immediate surroundings were encountered within the boundaries of the power plant area. Again, only 932 of 5665 individuals belonging to these 88 species recorded during the studies were recorded within the field boundaries. This difference shows that the power plant causes habitat loss. In addition, it has been observed that some species avoid crossing the field by changing direction while approaching the field. These observations provide evidence of the disturbance and displacement effect.