La Palma, Spain, 20 April 2007: Darkness is indispensable for the healthy functioning of organisms and the whole ecosystems, and new technical and legal tools and measures need to be developed to reduce light pollution and its impacts on biodiversity. With this message the Secretariat of the UNEP Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) concluded its intervention at the Starlight Conference, an international seminar under the aegis of the Canary Islands Authorities and UNESCO, to look at the consequences and impacts of light pollution on cultural, social and environmental behaviors and activities.

“Animal life evolves with natural patterns of light and dark, so disruption of these patterns influences many aspects of animal behavior”, said Paola Deda, Inter-Agency Liaison Officer at the UNEP/CMS Secretariat, explaining why light pollution represents an increasing threat for wildlife in general, and migratory animals in particular. Light pollution can confuse animal navigation using the horizon and stars for orientation, alter competitive interactions and reproduction behavior, change the normal predator-pray relationship and influence animal psychology.

Effects of fire lamps attracting birds have been known since the 19th century. Lighthouses, and light beams, off-shore oil and gas platforms, telecommunication and broadcasting towers as well as normal city lights create thousands of victims daily across the world. The Fatal Awareness Programme in Toronto for instance, monitoring collision data for over 10 years, recorded about 140 species of birds as victims of collisions, with an estimated 100,000 fatalities in North America each year, many of which are endangered species.

Nesting and hatchling of turtles is another phenomenon impacted by the growth of urban developments along the coasts. The artificial light of road lamps, houses or sky glow of cities, especially at nights with little or no moon, can disorient the hatchlings on their way to the sea. Because of these orientation problems, the hatchlings crawl into the wrong direction where they are threatened by dehydration, predators, and high temperatures after sunrise.

Other wildlife is reported to suffering from ‘biological photopollution’, including mammals such as bats, some primates, opossums, a number of rodents and marsupials in general. As many of these species are nocturnal or crepuscular animals it is easy to imagine the significant impacts that changes in night lighting might have. Migrations of pumas in southern California for instance showed how these animals did not follow traditional and favored topography or vegetation patterns to move away from urban glow and navigate towards the darkest horizon.

Commenting on possible solutions, Ms. Deda stressed that “while more research is also needed, I believe CMS is in a privileged position to provide information and advice to world governments on the effects of this growing problem, and identify and develop with its Parties effective solutions, including recommendations for legal tools, codes of conduct, public awareness and conservation policies”.

Notes for journalists

UNEP/CMS
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range. It is an intergovernmental treaty, concluded under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), concerned with the conservation of wildlife and habitats on a global scale. UNEP/CMS is addressing all threats to the survival of migratory animals and to the migration process itself such as light pollution, climate change, by-catch, wind turbines, ship strikes, power lines, as well as habitat degradation and loss.
The Convention was adopted in Bonn, Germany, on 23 June 1979, and entered into force on 1 November 1983. Today, 102 countries are Parties to the Convention.

Link to starlight website
www.starlight2007.net

Useful links and literature
Rich, C, Longcore, T. (eds.).: Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting. Island Press Washington, DC, 2006. (http://www.urbanwildlands.org/ecanlbook.html)

Longcore, T., Rich, C.: Ecological light pollution. Front Ecol Environ 2004; 2[4]: 191-198 (http://www.urbanwildlands.org/Resources/LongcoreRich2004.pdf)

http://www.darksky.org
http://www.savethenight.eu
http://www.lightpollution.org.uk
http://www.flap.org

 

For more information please contact:
Paola Deda
Inter-Agency Liaison Officer
CMS Secretariat
pdeda@cms.int
Tel: +49 228 815 2462