China challenges Science study on solar policy’s impact on birds
In China, a study published in the journal Science has been criticized after its authors linked government policy to expand solar energy with a decline in bird diversity. The Chinese Ornithological Society said the analysis may have used obviously erroneous observation records, including one reporting 2.1 billion little egrets in wetlands in Guangdong province.
As the South China Morning Post reports, the study was prepared by researchers from China, Vietnam and the United States. It was published on August 20 and compared the strength of solar energy development policies in China with changes in bird diversity from 2014 to 2023.
Questionable observation records
For their calculations, the authors used data from the China Birdwatching Record Centre, the country’s largest public platform for recording bird observations. At the end of last month, the Chinese Ornithological Society drew attention to possible errors in the centre’s records, which it believes could have affected the article’s conclusions.
The organization also cited a 2022 record of 1.3 billion red-billed blue magpies in a park in Guangdong. There are no precise data on the global populations of these species, but historical estimates indicate that the recorded figures significantly exceed their worldwide populations. According to a 2023 estimate by Wetlands International, there are up to about 3 million little egrets worldwide.
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The society said that data falling outside “reasonable limits” were nevertheless included in the analysis. It referred to a table in the Science article in which the number of birds in some subcategories, including resident birds, exceeded 3 billion.
Science’s response
The Chinese Ornithological Society also questioned the methodology for assessing the strength of solar policy and bird diversity. In its view, shortcomings in the use of data and statistical biases do not allow confirmation of the conclusion that China’s policy of expanding photovoltaic energy reduced bird diversity.
Science communications director Meagan Phelan said on August 27 that the journal was aware of potential concerns about the publication. According to her, they are being assessed through the usual procedure, the authors will be contacted, and corrections will be made if necessary.
In the article itself, the researchers concluded that without careful spatial planning, the expansion of solar energy may harm bird diversity through the loss of nesting and feeding sites. At the same time, one scientific commentary on the work noted that its design shows the effects of policy at the county level, but does not prove a direct causal link between the physical construction of solar facilities and the identified changes in birds.
