Conservationists warn large solar farms threaten rare wildlife on Gwent Levels

Conservationists have warned that large solar farm developments could push rare wildlife habitats “beyond the point of no return”, citing declines in birds, bats and insects around one of the UK’s biggest sites on the Gwent Levels in south-east Wales.

Gwent Wildlife Trust said Llanwern Solar Farm, built in 2020 on two Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), had been linked to falling numbers of lapwings, a crash in some bat populations and declines in rare bumblebee species. The farm, about the size of 100 rugby pitches and capable of powering more than 20,000 homes, sits on a patchwork of reens and ditches that conservationists say is among the country’s most ecologically and archaeologically rich landscapes.

Natalie Buttriss, chief executive of Gwent Wildlife Trust, said monitoring around Llanwern indicated lapwings were not returning to breed, bat box occupancy was low and insect biomass had fallen. A Welsh government report published last year described a decrease in lapwing numbers, a significant decline in brown-banded bee and shrill carder bee populations, and found only one bat box occupied during monitoring.

"It's an SSSI — and the clue is in the name, it's special for both people and wildlife," Buttriss said. She added that a single solar farm could be highly damaging to the levels’ fragile habitats and that cumulative development across the site could prevent species from dispersing and finding breeding and feeding grounds.

A Senedd petition opposing proposed new developments on the levels has attracted nearly 6,000 signatures. The Welsh government said pilot planning guidance for the Gwent Levels was being prepared and noted several solar farm applications on the levels were being determined as Developments of National Significance, limiting further comment by ministers.

There are tensions nationally over how to balance renewable energy expansion with other land uses. The UK government says more than 1,000 solar farms are operating across the country and a further 800 have planning permission. Supporters of large-scale solar argue it can lower household energy bills, create jobs and strengthen energy security while helping to tackle climate change.

Prof. Dave Chadwick of Bangor University, who has studied the effects of solar farms on land, said the debate reflected a broader need for regional and national land-use planning. "We haven't got any more land, we can't create it, yet we need our land to provide food security, to contribute to energy security, to deliver our clean water and clean air, and our biodiversity," he said. "It's about coming up with a good, regional, national, land use optimisation strategy."

Developments elsewhere show the competing priorities. On Anglesey, the Alaw Môn solar farm project — more than twice the size of Llanwern and recently approved — could provide enough power for every home on the island but has prompted opposition over the loss of agricultural land.

Dan McCallum, who runs Awel Aman Tawe, a company that develops solar farms in Wales, said economies of scale made larger sites more efficient and cheaper to build and operate. "The bigger the better," he said. McCallum added that locating farms on protected land should be carefully weighed in the planning system and argued climate change posed a larger long-term threat to biodiversity than some individual developments.

A UK government spokesperson said the biggest long-term threat to nature was the climate crisis and that expanding solar power could sit alongside efforts to reverse nature decline. The spokesperson pointed to government analysis suggesting renewables could boost some wildlife populations and said expanding clean power would help reduce bills and improve energy security. The Welsh government reiterated its role in assessing nationally significant applications and declined to comment on specific proposals.

The company that operates Llanwern Solar Farm has been asked for comment. Conservationists and developers say the issue underscores the challenge of meeting renewable energy targets while protecting sensitive habitats, a dilemma that planners, politicians and communities are confronting as the UK seeks to increase renewable generation and meet climate goals.