ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF COAL MINING AND PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER PLANT OPERATIONS ON THE MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITY IN OSLOMEJ RESERVOIR AND TEMNICA RIVER (NORTH MACEDONIA)

Coal mining and photovoltaic power plant operation significantly impact the macroinvertebrate communities in freshwater ecosystems due to changes in water quality and habitat structure resulting from dramatic erosion processes. Therefore, monitoring the macroinvertebrate community serves as an important indicator of ecological health. This study presents the ecosystem conditions in Oslomej reservoir and river Temnica based on the aquatic invertebrate community. The obtained results showed that Oslomej reservoir and river Temnica suffer habitat degradation and put up with different pollutants, introduced through the soil and sediment that entered the reservoir and the river during the construction of the PV Oslomej 3, as well as from previous acid mine drainage from the coal mine “Oslomej”.