2. 6.4 Ecological Effects A variety of activities relating to construction and operation of SPS have potential ecological impact. These activities should be identified, and their impact predicted. Where warranted, mitigation procedures should be developed before such activities are initiated. Construction activities,as well as the emissions of a variety of pollutants, are known to alter ecosystems by changing the character of plant and animal communities. These impacts can be assessed once specific development procedures and ecosystems are identified. Certain additional potential impacts will be more difficult to assess due to a lack of information in the scientific literature. These areas of concern include fragmentation of ecosystems, electric field effects, the possibility that some species of wildlife may be attracted to the rectenna in large numbers, and the possible disturbance of rhythmic cycle (e.g., reproduction, dormancy, etc.) in plants and animals by reflected light from satellites. 2.7 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Table 2.9 presents a summary of the non-microwave health and safety effects from this preliminary assessment. 2.7 . 1 Effects on the Public The assessment indicates that there is a fairly large body of information that can be used to develop a complete assessment of conventional effects of SPS on public health and safety. The incremental effects of increases in conventional processes have been addressed to the extent that preliminary calculations of environmental residuals have been made, but these have not been translated into public exposure levels nor into public health effects. The objective of the ongoing assessment process should be to improve the accuracy of the residuals calculations and to make the necessary translations into actual health effects. This achievement will provide an adequate basis for a system evaluation. For the unconventional effects resulting from transport accidents, toxic materials exposure, and launch and recovery operations, substantially less information exists upon which to base an assessment. For toxic materials, a systematic identification of the materials involved has not yet
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