The rapid implementation of large scale floating solar panels has consequences to water quality and local ecosystems. Environmental impacts depend on the dimensions, design and proportions of the system in relation to the size of the surface water, as well as the characteristics of the water system (currents, tidal effects) and climatic conditions. There is often no time (and budget) for thorough research into these effects on ecology and water quality. A few studies have addressed the potential impacts of floating solar panels, but often rely on models without validation with in situ data. In this work, water quality sensors continuously monitored key water quality parameters at two different locations: (i) underneath a floating solar park; (ii) at a reference location positioned in open water. An underwater drone was used to obtain vertical profiles of water quality and to collect underwater images. The results showed little differences in the measured key water quality parameters below the solar panels. The temperature at the upper layers of water was lower under the solar panels, and there were less detected temperature fluctuations. A biofouling layer on the floating structure was visible in the underwater images a few months after the construction of the park
Het Waddenfondsproject Súd Ie beoogt economie, recreatie en ecologie te combineren en te verbinden. Het project kent drie fasen, in fase 1 en 2 van het uitvoeringsprogramma van het project Súd Ie zijn o.a. vispassages, natuurvriendelijke oevers en paai- en opgroeigebieden aangelegd. Daarnaast worden langs de Súd Ie gelegen (brakke) polders en natuurgebieden hersteld en toegankelijk gemaakt voor diadrome vissoorten, veelal driedoornige stekelbaars en paling. Deze maatregelen zorgen ervoor dat binnenkort de deur vanaf het Lauwersmeer open staat en het huis (lees habitat) voor de vis op orde is. Daardoor is een duurzame ecologische verbinding met de Waddenzee in dit gebied hersteld. Het project Impuls Diadrome Vissen, onderdeel van fase 3, richt zich specifiek op het achterland, de twee geselecteerde proeftuinen Eanjumerkolken en Kolken Noord. De kernvraag hierbij luidt: 'Zijn de langs de Súd Ie optrekbaar gemaakte brakke (natuur)gebieden van meerwaarde voor diadrome vissoorten en hoe wordt hier gebruik van gemaakt?'. Met een uitgebreid monitoringssysteem wordt naar het antwoord op deze vraag gezocht. Deze rapportage bevat de resultaten van de monitoring in het najaar van 2020, waarbij het habitat en de visstand van de polders Kolken Noord en Kolken Zuid (Eanjumerkolken) nader is bekeken. Uitvoeren van een pilot onderzoek naar de visstand en habitat van proefgebieden in het Súd Ie-gebied. Doelsoorten zijn driedoornige stekelbaars en paling. Deze kennis wordt gebruikt voor de bepaling van de aard en wijze van de nulmonitoring.
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Indigenous rights’ relationship to ecological justice in Amazonia has not been explicitly explored in the literature. As social scientists rarely talk about violence against non-humans, this case study of conservation in Amazonia will explore this new area of concern. Ethical inquiries in conservation also engage with the manifold ways through which human and nonhuman lives are entangled and emplaced within wider ecological relationships, converging in the notion of environmental justice, which often fails to account for overt violence or exploitation of non-humans. Reflecting on this omission, this chapter discusses the applicability of engaged social science and conservation to habitat destruction in Amazonia, and broader contexts involving violence against non-humans. The questions addressed in this chapter are: is the idea of ecological justice sufficiently supported in conservation debate, and more practical Amazonian contexts? Can advocacy of inherent rights be applied to the case of non-humans? Can indigenous communities still be considered 'traditional' considering population growth and increased consumptive practices? Concluding that the existing forms of justice are inadequate in dealing with the massive scale of non-human abuse, this chapter provides directions for conservation that engage with deep ecology and ecological justice in the Amazonian context. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-29153-2 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkopnina/
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The Netherlands is facing great challenges to achieve (inter)national climate mitigation objectives in limited time, budget and space. Drastic innovative measures such as floating solar parks are high on political agendas and are entering our water systems . The clear advantages of floating solar (multifunctional use of space) led to a fast deployment of renewable energy sources without extensive research to adequately evaluate the impacts on our environment. Acquisition of research data with holistic monitoring methods are urgently needed in order to prevent disinvestments. In this proposal ten SMEs with different expertise and technologies are joining efforts with researchers and four public parties (and 12 indirectly involved) to answer the research question “Which monitoring technologies and intelligent data interpretation techniques are required to be able to conduct comprehensive, efficient and cost-effective monitoring of the impacts of floating solar panels in their surroundings?" The outputs after a two-year project will play a significant and indispensable role in making Green Energy Resources Greener. Specific output includes a detailed inventory of existing projects, monitoring method for collection/analysis of datasets (parameters/footage on climate, water quality, ecology) on the effects of floating solar panels on the environment using heterogeneous unmanned robots, workshops with public & private partners and stakeholders, scientific and technical papers and update of national guidelines for optimizing the relationship between solar panels and the surrounding environment. Project results have a global interest and the consortium partners aim at upscaling for the international market. This project will enrich the involved partners with their practical knowledge, and SMEs will be equipped with the new technologies to be at the forefront and benefit from the increasing floating solar market opportunities. This project will also make a significant contribution to various educational curricula in universities of applied sciences.
