WABSI Big Issues in Biodiversity Science Webinar Series
Thursday 23rd July 2026
4.00pm – 5.00 pm (Australian Western Standard Time)
Join us as we explore a critical and often overlooked question in the global energy transition: How do we scale solar photovoltaic (PV) energy while safeguarding biodiversity?
Solar PV is now the second-largest renewable energy source worldwide, yet the ecological evidence base is still surprisingly limited and fragmented. Drawing on a synthesis of more than 2,000 scientific studies, this session will unpack findings from just 180 papers that directly assess PV impacts or mitigation measures. The research reveals a strong geographic and ecological bias, largely focused on North American desert environments. This is despite rapid PV expansion across European and Asian agricultural and mixed-use landscapes.
The session will explore how PV development affects biodiversity across multiple levels, from plants, insects, birds, reptiles and bats, through to microclimates, habitat structure and ecosystem services. It will also highlight significant blind spots, including limited long-term monitoring, weak baseline data, and emerging but under-studied solutions such as agrivoltaic systems.
This is a critical webinar highlighting a decision-making gap we cannot afford to ignore. As renewable energy accelerates, the question is not whether we transition, but how we do it responsibly?
Join us as we explore the evidence, confront the uncertainties and enable an energy future that is both low-carbon and nature-positive.
GUEST SPEAKERS
Assistant Professor Julia Gómez-Catasús and David González del Portillo
Department of Ecology, Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology and Conservation Research Group, Center for Research on Biodiversity and Global Change, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Julia specialises in the ecology of terrestrial vertebrates and David specialises in birds, having obtained the title of Expert Bird Ringer. Both work with the Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology and Conservation Research Group at the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain. The group’s research focuses on terrestrial ecosystem functioning, biodiversity conservation, and promoting the transfer of scientific
knowledge for natural resource management. Part of the Department of Ecology, the group focuses on ecological processes and environmental conservation.
