Vegetation Alteration Associated with the Construction of Large-Scale Solar Power Plants in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan

Abstract

We analyzed aerial photographs and vegetation maps using a geographic information system (GIS) to focus on vegetation alternation associated with the construction of solar power plants with an output of 1MW or more in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. The results revealed the following: 1) The areas of agricultural land, secondary forest, and low-growing secondary grassland were large, accounting for 74.8% of the total; 2) In the 11 municipalities affected by the nuclear disaster, the proportion of the area of altered agricultural land was high at 76.3%; 3) In the seven municipalities that had enacted ordinances regulating the construction of solar power plants, the proportion of the area of artificially altered vegetation, mainly agricultural land, was higher than in municipalities without such ordinances.