Freiflächen-Photovoltaikanlagen bieten der Feldlerche Alauda arvensis keinen (Ersatz-)Lebensraum

Ground-mounted photovoltaic systems do not serve as substitute habitats for the skylark (Alauda arvensis) // The expansion of ground-mounted photovoltaic systems (PV) can lead to habitat loss for the Skylark Alauda arvensis. This study investigated whether Skylarks use PV systems as breeding habitat. To this end, 30 PV systems in Northern Bavaria, all established within known Skylark habitats, were surveyed using territory mapping. No Skylark territories were detected within any of the PV systems, although Skylarks were present in the surrounding areas of 29 sites. Other studies, however, have documented Skylark occurrences within PV installations. These studies, though, often differed significantly in key conditions, such as previous land use, system size, location, as well as module height and spacing. Therefore, their results must be interpreted in a site- and context-specific manner and cannot be directly transferred to other PV systems. Overall, the findings indicate that small-scale, row-mounted PV systems in open agricultural landscapes are not suitable as breeding habitat and that measures must be implemented prior to construction.