Residents’ Views on Landscape and Ecosystem Services during a Wind Farm Proposal in an Island Protected Area

Abstract

Industrial wind farms are being developed within many protected areas, such as in EU Natura 2000 sites; this includes proposals on small Mediterranean islands, such as Samothraki in Greece. Scarce wild land areas on islands may be particularly vulnerable to landscape-scale degradation; this may have serious negative societal impacts. Samothraki’s resident perceptions were surveyed in the wake of such a proposal, in June 2018. Of 98 respondents, 48% reported they were against the wind farm plan, while 22% did not take sides. We compare for-and-against sub-group perceptions of the proposed wind farm with potential impacts on the landscape and explore residents’ opinions on ecosystem services and environmental pressures and threats. Conflict over the wind farm was prevalent; residents most frequently reported that the proposal threatens aesthetic and landscape qualities. Aesthetic qualities were also the second highest ranked ecosystem services, after freshwater provision. However, other threats, such as livestock overgrazing, top residents’ opinion of major environmental problems on the island. The questionnaire survey used provides a scoping assessment, which may assist in identifying "conflict hotspots" for wind farm development. A critical review of wind farm planning in protected areas is presented in light of insights gained from this survey and other relevant studies.

National Set of MAES Indicators in Greece: Ecosystem Services and Management Implications

“…In our proposed MAES application, these are treated primarily within recreational values since it is difficult to survey other cultural services with any consistency on a state-wide scale (e.g., Reference [21]). CES are important in providing various methods to engage stakeholder and local applications (where conflict areas may also be identified) (e.g., References [80,81]). Obviously, we do not mean to degrade or denigrate other types of cultural ecosystem services [82,83], and important aspects such as landscape quality, including aesthetics and other landscape-scale attributes, are being actively investigated (e.g., References [84][85][86]).…”

The sociometabolic transition of a small Greek island: Assessing stock dynamics, resource flows, and material circularity from 1929 to 2019

“…Thirty‐eight solar panel fields installed on private land that farmers lease to electricity providers and feed into the mainland grid are currently the only renewable energy production on the island (Expert Interview 12). Current plans to build an industrial wind park with 40 large turbines in the most remote natural conservation area of the island for the export of electricity cannot be considered as part of the island's sustainability strategy and are met with fierce criticism locally (Vlami et al., 2020). Similarly, opportunities for district heating, composting, or biogas production from organic waste are so far neglected.…”

Technology in support of nature-based solutions requires understanding everyday experiences

“…Or, that sufficient community engagement or new knowledge will easily nurture a positive attitude toward novel changes happening in their everyday landscape surroundings (Lund et al 2019). However, strong community objections against pro-environmental landscape interventions, including constructed wetlands, wind turbines, and solar farms, have occurred in the past, and such objections have not been easily resolved by educating the community about their environmental benefits (Sánchez-Pantoja et al 2018, Vlami et al 2020. Such interventions introducing noticeable unfamiliar processes or novel structures into the landscape were met with skepticism, disapproval, or fear by residents.…”