IAIAsa Conference 2025 Integrated Environmental Management in the Ever Changing Sustainability Sphere

Abstract prepared by: Aldi Nel, Amanda van Reenen and Caroline Beer

CES presentation: presented by Dr. Aldi Nel | Strategic development to protect key agricultural and ecosystem service resources through technology and layout design in renewable energy projects (a SA/ semi-arid perspective)

The recent proclamation of the Preservation and Development of Agricultural Land Act, 2024 contains references to powers to restrict development on high potential agricultural land, i.e. “protected agricultural areas”. Protected agricultural areas are mapped using a combination of soil quality, climate, water availability, biodiversity sensitivity, land use, and socio-economic data, supported by policy frameworks and geospatial tools. This integration identifies high-potential farmland, monitors threats like urban expansion or degradation, and ensures sustainable development while safeguarding food security and ecosystem services.

Well-designed solar farms can generate clean energy while simultaneously preserving and enhancing habitat beneath and around the arrays. Soil temperature beneath solar panels is moderated by shading, panel height, orientation, and ground cover, while dynamic tracker systems prevent permanent over-shading, ensuring more uniform soil temperature regulation and groundcover stability, which together promote water retention, erosion control, and ecological resilience. These measures create microclimates that support native grasses, forbs, and pollinator species, while wide row spacing ensure wildlife movement. By integrating clearance, footing choice, hydrology-sensitive layouts, and habitat planting into the design, utility-scale PV projects can shift from being ecological trade-offs to serving as dual-purpose landscapes that deliver both reliable renewable energy and functioning ecological corridors.